


Magical Fusion

by Kiadi



Series: Fusion [1]
Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Damsels in Distress, F/M, Magical Accidents, Magical Artifacts, Mystery, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Rituals, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 11:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 74,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7100599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiadi/pseuds/Kiadi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amelia has been called in to help the city of Nullin restore an anti-magic shield that has protected their city for hundreds of years. But she finds there's more to Magical Fusion than she anticipated...</p>
<p>(Originally posted on Fanfiction.net in 2004.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nullin, The Anti-Magic City

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place after Slayers Try and was written before Slayers Revolution/Evolution-R aired in Japan. Please excuse the inconsistencies.

The empire of Elmekia, situated just to the north and west of the Desert of Destruction, was furthest south from all the kingdoms in the inner world. The shamanist spells Elmekia Lance and Elmekia Flame originated here. The empire was known for housing many secrets, spells, and magical artifacts throughout its lands. So who would ever have guessed a city such as Nullin would have existed _here_ , of all places.

Amelia inhaled the sweet forest air, and let it out in one slow breath. She rarely had the opportunity to travel this far from home, on official business anyway, and it felt so good to get out of the palace again. She practically jumped at the opportunity to go to Nullin when her father offered it to her.

She traveled with a large train of bodyguards and servants there to watch over her, the Princess of Seyruun, as she traveled. The directions they were given lead them deep into a thick forest. With no man-made trails to speak of, it made travel rather difficult. Humans were a rarity in these woods. Some of the animals and magical beasts would stop to stare in curiosity as they passed, rather than fleeing like they normally would. For Amelia, it made the experience all the more magical and enjoyable.

They had recently stopped for a break while her escorts got their bearings straight and made sure they were still headed in the right direction. She sat in a flower patch under a wild cherry tree. Away from her bodyguards, she enjoyed some time to herself. The wind blew through her shoulder-length, obsidian-black hair, and she reached her hand up to brush it out of her face. The movement brought her large, blue eyes into focus and she smiled as she gazed at the beautiful scenery around her.

It had been three long years since she'd last traveled, and she'd since grown out of her old, white sorcerer's tunic, despite her fondness for the outfit. Half a foot taller now, she'd been forced to trade it in for a dark blue shirt and leggings, covered by a sleeveless, pure white tunic with boots and a short cape to match. A thick, brown belt fitted around her slender waste, emphasizing her full, womanly figure. She'd designed the outfit herself years before when she was still traveling with Lina. She actually designed with someone else in mind, but she loved the way it looked on her. It was quite suitable for travel as well, as long as she kept it clean with her magic on a regular basis.

Of course, she wasn't just here to enjoy the sights and sounds of Elmekia's pristine forests. Reaching into the pouch she set next to her, she pulled out the letter her father had given her only a few weeks earlier.

_To Prince Philionel of the Kingdom of Seyruun,_

_Chances are you have never heard of our small home of Nullin, lying on the very southern tip of Elmekia, and on the edge of the Desert of Destruction. We are a humble village with a dilemma, and we ask for your assistance, as the White Magic Capital of the world._

_Our city is small, but is protected by powerful magical artifacts that create an anti-magic field around our home. The artifacts create fusion magic, combining the powers of black magic and white magic to create this anti-magic field. It has protected us for over 500 years from monsters, demons, and the like who cannot enter this powerful barrier. However, this barrier has to be renewed every 100 years in order to stay active._

_The 100 year mark is almost up, and we have a black mage who is willing to perform the ceremony. The white mage we had picked out, however, fell ill and cannot participate. With the greatest of_ _humility, I ask that you send a skilled white mage, your strongest if at all possible, to take his place. He or she must be at least powerful enough to cast a Resurrection spell, and it helps if the individual also specializes in white magic._

_We are a poor town, but we will compensate you to the best of our ability if you would do this for us, and we promise to make sure the white mage you send will be accommodated handsomely and treated with the greatest respect._

_Please accept this humble request and respond back to us as soon as possible._

_Sincerely,_

_Mayor Ruulin of Nullin_

Amelia folded up the letter and held it against her breast, her face beaming with pride. After hearing about the desperate need of the people of Nullin, she'd practically begged her father to let her go. She was, after all, among the most powerful white mages in Seyruun. She was anxious to aid the good people of Nullin in their desire for protection. She was best qualified for this opportunity, even over the elders of Seyruun. She had, in fact, performed magical fusion before, using a couple of vessels from Alto and Baritone. She was the white mage of course, and her old traveling companion, Zelgadis, was the black mage.

She put the letter back in her pouch as she thought back to that particular event. Zelgadis wasn't a true black mage, so to speak. He specialized in shamanist magic, which dealt with spirits of the elements; fire, earth, air, water, and astral. He knew a lot of black magic of course, and they _had_ successfully performed magical fusion together. She could only guess that it was either because Zelgadis knew enough black magic to make it work, or because he was part demon.

She sighed, hugging her knees to her. Strangely enough, she'd fallen in love with the cold-hearted chimera. _'Actually, more of a crush really,'_ she thought with a chuckle. His human body had been combined with that of a brau demon and a rock golem by an evil wizard. It gave him rock-skin that made him impervious to normal weapons as well as heightening his speed, strength and senses. He hated his body, though, and had left her to find a cure so he could become a normal human again.

She was, what, fifteen, almost sixteen, the last time she saw him. That had been three years ago, and she'd tried desperately to forget about him and move on. Now eighteen, she had plenty of suitors more than willing to woo the heir to Seyruun's throne, but she couldn't get him off her mind. No amount of flirting or courting with princes and commoners alike could compare to the adventures she'd shared with Zelgadis. The fact that she was a princess didn't matter to him. He never took advantage of her status or felt he had to treat her differently from any of her other friends. That was just the way she liked it.

The truth, however, was she could never tell just _what_ he thought of her. He had an incredible talent for hiding his feelings and emotions from others behind a cold-as-stone, heartless expression. Sure he'd show great concern for her, particularly when she was hurt or even dying, but for all she knew it was the concerns of a friend. Nothing more. His heart was a closed door, and as much as she'd tried, she could never figure out how to open it.

She shook her head as though to shake the memory from her. _'This is no time to be thinking of him,'_ she thought to herself as she stood up from her spot under the tree. _'He left you a long time ago and he's probably never coming back. Forget about him and concentrate on the task at hand.'_

Her entourage would be finishing and ready to head off again fairly soon. She was very close to the city and the idea of entering a town completely void of magic both fascinated and frightened her. She'd never heard of a city quite like this one before. Sure, the Temple of Marriage had an anti-magic field, but from what she'd learned about Nullin it was very different. The field there was so powerful it could cross over into the Astral Plane and prevent astral creatures from entering. Mazoku, demons, and other monsters could not enter the city without risking series injury or even death. It kept this small town safe for over 500 years.

At least, that's what little information she gathered about it through the libraries of her home. No one in Seyruun knew anything about this town, let alone the ritual, or the history of those who'd performed it. This town seemed to be in complete isolation, and only a few rare travelers even knew of its existence, let alone had been there. She'd have to find out the details when she arrived.

Her head guard approached, leading both of their horses behind him. He was a large, middle aged man that reminded her of her father, except he had blonde hair and didn't look quite so "brutish." She brushed the dirt off her clothes as she waited for him.

"We're about ready to depart again, Princess. Shall I help you mount?"

"No, Edwin-san, I'm fine," she said as she took the reigns of the white mare she'd been riding here. "I'll be with you shortly; I just have to gather up my things."

He sighed. This was a side of the princess he hated. She was a powerful mage, and more than capable of taking care of herself, but he was restless. There was something in this forest that didn't feel right, and he didn't like the idea of leaving her alone. "Princess, I…"

"I'm fine, really," she insisted. "Go back to camp and get everything ready to go. I'll be there shortly."

He bowed and strolled off, taking his own bay mare with him. She watched as he left, a little irritated at his overly protective nature. If they were ever attacked, chances were she could handle the battle better than he could. It made having bodyguards in the first place seem rather absurd. It was more for show than any actual protection. Bandits and monsters would be more likely to attack a lone girl riding alone than a full palace entourage.

A rustling behind her brought her out of her thoughts and she spun around, a spell already forming in her hands. "Who's there?" she shouted, her eyes darting back and forth.

She saw and heard nothing. Perhaps it was an animal, and she was just being paranoid. She started to relax, continuing to gather her things up and place them in a bag. She had just finished putting her pack on her horse when she glanced at the bushes, and gasped. There, between the leaves, was an eye staring back at her.

Whoever the spy was saw her too and she had to react, now! " _Freeze Arrow_!" she cried, as several javelins of ice flew from her hand towards the bushes. They hit the foliage, freezing its leaves instantly, but not her intended target. The spy leaped into the air and dodged her spell effortlessly.

Amelia was prepared for this possibility, and her opponent was still in the air when she cast her second spell. " _Burst Rondo_!" Several balls of fiery light burst forth from her hands towards the leaping target. With multiple shots, she had a good chance that at least one would hit and knock her opponent out of the sky. It seemed, however, her target was equally prepared. She heard an obviously male voice cry out " _Balus Wall_!" and a bright shield of light appeared in front of him. Her _Burst Rondo_ scattered in front of him, landing harmlessly several feet away and creating a dust cloud all around her.

 _'So, he's a mage too._ ' She was not expecting him to cast a shield spell so quickly, and now she couldn't see anything. She began casting a wind spell to clear away the dust, when a shadow appeared from the dust, heading straight for her. She tried to change tactics, but it was too late. Before she could cast another spell, the intruder charged past her with inhuman speed, grabbed her from behind, and covered her mouth with his hand.

Amelia tried to scream, but couldn't. Her attacker had one arm wrapped around her middle, with her own arms pinned under it, and his other hand held onto her mouth to keep her from speaking. She struggled under his tight grip, but to no avail. Whoever held her was incredibly strong, and although he wasn't hurting her at all, his grip was unbreakable.

"Princess Amelia! We heard a noise, are you alright?"

It was Edwin, and Amelia felt her attacker's grip tighten. "Damn it," her captor cursed into her ear, as he quickly released her. Amelia immediately stumbled forward, but whirled around, ready to blast her attacker before he escaped. But she was too late, he was already gone.

"Princess! PRINCESS!" She was still staring into the bushes where her attacker had disappeared. "Princess Amelia, are you alright?"

She quickly regained her senses and turned to Edwin as he ran up to her. "I'm fine," she responded. She started to tell him she was attacked, but stopped. _'Should I tell him I was attacked?'_ She already knew what Edwin would do if she said anything.

"I was…practicing a few spells; giving them one last shot before we entered the city. I…I figured since I can't use them inside the field..." she shrugged.

He glared at her, but she didn't look at him. She was still looking towards the bushes. _'Who was that man, and why did he attack me?_ '

She hugged herself tightly, suddenly very nervous indeed. She had been among a small group who had defeated Zanaffar, Gaav, Phibrizzo, and Dark Star. Few people in this world could possibly overcome her so easily.

 _'Could it have been a Mazoku?_ ' The idea made sense; she was about to reinforce a shield that was specifically meant to keep them and other monsters out, something the Race of Evil would want to stop _before_ she reached Nullin. Yet, the hands that grabbed her, although forceful, were not brutal, as though her attacker wanted her unharmed. A Mazoku wouldn't have bothered with such precautions. Quite the opposite, they fed on negative emotions, and the more pain and fear caused the better.

She creased her brow before finally turning back to her entourage. This journey was going to prove more interesting than she first thought.

* * *

Zelgadis fled from Amelia and her troupe as quickly as possible, heading for the hills overlooking the city of Nullin. He hadn't meant to attack her like that; but she took the first shot! He'd only wanted to warn her, but he hesitated when he saw her and probably scared the living daylights out of her. He cursed and swore as he rushed to the hill top. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but now he couldn't.

He reached the peak of the cliff and looked out towards the city. Amelia's train was now headed towards the city once again. He growled to himself as his gaze moved to the spot where he knew the Duchess Army, the bandit gang of Nullin, would strike. They were only a few yards inside the border, the very edge of the anti-magic field. There, they would strike, when Amelia was most vulnerable.

They knew she was a powerful sorceress. Hell, they knew because _he_ told them! It was his big mouth that revealed that she knew more than just harmless white magic. She was highly skilled in black and shamanist magic as well. And they knew she couldn't use her magic against them as long as she was within the shield.

"This is my fault," he cursed. "It's not like me to divulge information like that, especially information that could harm my old friends."

He should have known better. He and Duuchesney were close, _very_ close, but that didn't mean she'd respect his old friends enough to leave them be. She was, after all, the head of a bandit gang. All she heard was an opportunity coming her way. A princess of Seyruun and her entourage, with a simple way to fully exploit a weakness in its defense.

 _'I wonder what Duu-chan would think if she could see me now,'_ he smirked to himself, lifting his hand up to look at it. He had long ago lost the gloves that use to cover them, so the blue-stone skin and black, scaly rocks that lined it were clearly visible in the sun light. He wondered how long he'd be able to hide this side of himself from the bandit-woman, and how Amelia would react when she saw the _other_ side of him.

Thoughts of Amelia brought a growl from his throat, angry at himself and his own stupidity. There was no way he was going to let Amelia suffer because of him. He was going to have to help her. Even if it meant facing Duuchesney in combat; he had to stop her!

* * *

"That must be the anti-magic field there."

Amelia had been thinking to herself, about her attacker, and Edwin's sudden words brought her out of her thoughts with a start. She looked up, and was a bit taken back at what she saw. Indeed, she was surprised she was actually _seeing_ the shield at all.

It reminded the princess of looking through a cloud of dry heat, shimmering and shifting constantly, but you could still see the forest path beyond. Occasionally she could see a wisp of black or red pass over it, but for the most part it was clear, just distorted. She had worried that she wouldn't know when she passed into the barrier, but it was quite clear where the field started and ended.

She didn't notice that she'd stopped to stare at the shield until Edwin spoke up again, "Princess, shall we go in then?"

She blinked, staring at her bodyguard for a minute before she remembered where she was. "Oh, of course!" she took a deep breath, bringing her old self back. "Of course! Righteousness demands that we enter the city and perform the ritual of Magical Fusion so this town can continue in safety for another 100 years!" she lifted up the letter she received from Nullin, pointing it towards the field for a dramatic effect. "And no matter the risk to our own safety, no matter the attackers and spies that may come, we must go on in the name of Justice!"

Edwin nodded, unfazed. He'd been with the Seyruun family for years now, and was accustomed to such ridiculous speeches. After all, her father was ten times worse. He gave the signal, and they prodded their horses forward, into the field.

The horses and riders ahead of them entered without incident. The field didn't seem to have any adverse effects, but then again, Amelia wasn't sure what she was expecting. If people had been living her for 500 years, then naturally there was nothing to fear. _'So why am I so nervous?'_ The people before her hadn't reacted to entering the shield, and with a deep breath to calm herself, she prodded her horse forward and passed through the field.

She had reassured herself that there was nothing wrong, and so she was taken off guard by the overwhelming power of the field as she passed through it. She gasped, clutching her chest reflexively. It felt as though her body was being forced deep under water, and for a moment she couldn't breathe.

Her sudden reaction did not escape notice, "Princess Amelia, what is wrong?" Edwin turned his horse around and trotted back up to the princess, whose horse had stopped soon after entering the field. Amelia looked up, and found her entire entourage looking at her, greatly concerned. She found she could breathe again, and took a deep breath before answering.

"Yes I'm fine, Edwin-san, I was just a bit overwhelmed there for a minute." She looked up at him, her face going from serious to curious. "Didn't any of you guys feel that?"

"Feel what, Princess? I felt nothing coming through here. You're the only one who seemed to react to the field at all." He furrowed his brow for a moment, "perhaps it is because you are a sorceress, and the field is reacting to your magic."

"Perhaps," she responded, though she wasn't completely sure about that. There was something seriously _wrong_ with this field. Magical nullification of this kind was a combination of black and white magic, thus a neutralizing form of magic. She'd used it before, so she knew what it was like, but this field seemed strangely out of balance. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had a bad feeling…

"Let's continue Edwin-san, we need to get into town as soon as possi..."

A scream from behind her made her stop, and she and Edwin spun around to see what happened. One of her servants, one of the cooking maids, had an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. The maid cried out again, and fell from her horse.

"It's an ambush!" Edwin screamed as he drew his sword. "Everybody take cover!"

* * *

The attack had begun, and Duuchesney watched with amusement as her forces quickly closed in on the royal entourage. For all her efforts, however, she couldn't pick out the princess. _'She must be plain clothed like the rest of them.'_ The one her arrow had hit was mostly likely a maid.

A strand of blonde hair whipped against her face and she brushed it aside with her fingers, gazing out at the battle. _'Now, how did Zelgadis describe her?'_ she took a closer look at the group as she tried to remember. _'Black hair, blue eyes, wears a white tunic. Short, but full figured,'_ she stopped and chuckled, remembering how Zel had blushed when he mentioned that last little detail. He was so cute that way. No one in this party matched that description however.

Then again, he hadn't seen her in over three years, so chances are she'd changed since then. _'Lets see, she'd most likely still have black hair, blue eyes, and a full figure,'_ she scanned the group, now in all-out combat. Amelia's guards were well armed and holding their own against her bandits, but she knew it wouldn't last long. The warriors in her gang were the best in the land. After all, she trained them herself.

Her eyes caught sight of one girl who stood up on her horse, and began shouting, not at the guards, but at the bandits. Sounded like she was giving some sort of speech, as though she were in a cheesy theater production. She smiled, remembering something _else_ Zelgadis had told her. _'Found you, Princess Amelia!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up! Chapter 2: The Bandit and The Princess  
> Filled with Bandits, Action, Revelations, and the Prerequisite Public Bath Scene!


	2. The Princess and the Bandit

There were only about a dozen or so bandits, but they still took Amelia's train completely by surprise. Several servants could be heard screaming, as her bodyguards took point to stop the attackers.

"Princess, hang back, we'll protect you," Edwin cried as he slashed out at an approaching bandit.

"I'm more than capable of protecting myself, Edwin-san!" she stood on the back of her horse, glaring down at the bandits as they moved forward. "How dare you attack this peaceful entourage from Seyruun," she cried out, pointing her finger for emphasis. "By the light that shines in my righteous soul, I swear I shall force you to see the evil in your unholy hearts. I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, will not allow this injustice to go unpun…"

A heavy force struck her in the chest and she fell from her perch, landing with a heavy thud on the hard earth below. She gasped for air, as she tried to regain her footing and her breath, slowly getting into a sitting position so she could see what happened.

Standing over her was a woman, sneering down at her like a cat that'd just caught a mouse. Amelia took notice of long, dark blonde hair with black roots (she bleached her hair?), and dark brown eyes. She was dressed in a black tunic, opened in the front, exposing more flesh than any decent woman should be exposing.

"That was the stupidest thing I ever heard," Duuchesney stated, as she drew two short, wooden swords. She held the right sword, upright in attack position, while the one in her left faced downward, for blocking. "And here I thought he was exaggerating when he told me about you."

Amelia could only stare, her curiosity getting the better of her, "He who? What?"

The strange woman only smiled as she brought her weapons to bear, charging her. Amelia only had time to spin out of the way, as the strange woman brought her right sword down on her. Amelia used her momentum to stand herself up, facing her determined opponent.

"I don't know who you are," Amelia began again, "but with the Hammer of Justice on my side, I swear I will…EEEP!" Duuchesney attacked again, slashing at Amelia side ways, and the princess leaped backwards to avoid being hit. "Would you stop that so I can finish!" she scolded.

"I'm not interested in your stupid love and lollipops speeches, Little Miss Justice! Now just shut up and fight!"

"I never said anything about lollipops, and who are you calling littl…" The bandit lunged forward again bringing both weapons to bear against her. There was no time for justice speeches now, this girl was serious. _'But what did I ever do to her?'_ Amelia dodged her blow yet again, leaping into the air, flipping once, and landing flat on her butt. "Ow," she cried, rubbing her sore rump. "It's been too long since I've had to do that."

Duuchesney looked down at the princess and sighed. "I guess you really are nothing without your magic. How pathetic. What did he ever see in you?" She brought her weapons up again. She struck downwards on Amelia's prone figure, but the weapon stopped just short. The bandit-woman's eyes went wide. Amelia had caught her weapon in both hands just before it struck her.

"Don't underestimate me, villain!" she pushed with both hands, forcing Duuchesney to stumble backwards, and giving Amelia enough time to get up and take a fighting stance.

The bandit woman smirked. _'Good, she's done playing around.'_ She brought her weapons up again.

* * *

He now stood inside the anti-magic field, a ways away from the battle field. He didn't want anybody witnessing just what the shield did to him when he passed through it.

Zelgadis rubbed his skin, trying to sooth the burning sensation that always seemed to follow his crossing the Nullin border. The main path, were he knew Amelia and her entourage would be, were several yards away, but he could hear the sounds of battle from where he was. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to get there in time to save Amelia from _her_.

* * *

Amelia had always hated using weapons of any kind, ever since her mother was killed by an assassin's blade when she was a child. But she couldn't depend on her magic all the time, so her father had insisted she learn Seyruun's Pacifist Fighting Style, a martial arts style similar to kick-boxing. Her father and her both swore, however, never to use violence unless absolutely necessary. It was meant only for self-defense or in defense of justice. Obviously, this situation qualified on all sides.

Amelia took a quick glance around her. Her guards were holding their own against the bandits, but she wasn't sure how long it would all last. The bandit's were cleverly blocking the route to the border, so she couldn't flee outside and use spells. She turned back to her current opponent, waiting for her to make the first move. _'Why is she so intent on attacking just me?'_

The bandit-woman charged, swinging downward with her right sword towards Amelia's head. Amelia quickly brought her left arm up to block it, letting the sword smack down painfully on her upper arm. She ignored the pain and swung out with her right arm towards Duuchesney's face. The rogue blocked it with her left-hand sword, then leaped back to prepare for another attack.

Amelia quickly side-stepped another swing from Duuchesney, following through with a backwards kick that the rogue blocked effortlessly with the other sword. Duuchesney instantly swung her first sword downward, and then up in a U shaped swing that struck Amelia's knee with a loud crack. Amelia cried out as she fell flat on her back, but despite the sharp pain in her leg, she hastily rolled over and stood up, wobbling slightly.

"This is way too easy," Duuchesney smirked, as she watched Amelia wince in pain. "I guess shrine maidens really are a bunch of push-overs. I'll tell you what, Princess," she spat out the title like it was filth as she sneered at her opponent. "Hand over all of your valuables and I'll leave you alone and your friends alone."

Amelia scowled, "Is that all you came for? A few trinkets you didn't earn? A chance to fill your greedy pockets with the hard earned goods of my people? I assure you we carry nothing of value, but even if we did, I'd never turn it over to the likes of you!"

"In that case," Duuchesney brought her sword up yet again, but just before it struck its target, a figure leaped between them, blocking her sword with one of his own. Her wooden sword struck the real one with a loud clap, taking a chip out of the weaker weapon.

"That's enough, Duuchesney!" the figure shouted, holding her sword off easily. "I thought I told you to leave her alone! You have what you came for, now back off."

Amelia could only stare. _'Who is he?_ ' she thought as she gazed at her rescuer. The man, it was definitely a man, had thick, violet-blue hair, in a style similar to her own. He was wearing a dark blue, short-sleeved tunic, and the sword he wielded looked strangely familiar. She could see little else, since he had his back to her.

She did, however, see Duuchesney glare menacingly at her attacker, "You stay out of this, Zelgadis. This has nothing to do with you."

Zelgadis! Amelia could only gape in surprise. He had the same hair style, but the Zelgadis she knew had silvery hair and blue-stone skin. This man's skin was normal, so he couldn't possibly be _her_ Zelgadis. Unless...

"I think this very much concerns me. She's my friend, and I won't let you beat on her like this!"

He was human again! There was no doubt about it, he'd found his cure somehow! Her heart leapt with joy, despite the critical situation she was in.

Duuchesney was about to say something further when the sound of shouting voices from nearby caught her attention. "Damn it, the constables are coming," she quickly sheathed her swords and, letting out a shrill whistle to her followers, she rushed into the bushes to escape. The bandits quickly broke off the attack, taking only a moment to scoop up the meager loot they'd received and flee into the surrounding forest.

Amelia ignored them, her attention still drawn to her rescuer, "Zelgadis-san, is that really..."

He spun around, and the determination in his stare made her stop in mid-speech. His face was all the confirmation she needed however. The stone skin was gone, but his unique features were the same and she recognized him instantly, despite his now very human appearance. Without another word, he turned in the direction Duuchesney fled and proceeded to run after her.

"Zelgadis-san, wait!" Amelia cried.

"I'll contact you," was all he said before disappearing into the brush.

Amelia could only stare after him. _'Why did he run?'_ Was he going after Duuchesney to capture her? Yes, that must be it, he was chasing after her attacker so he could bring her to Justice!

"What happened here, what's going on?" the local authorities had arrived and were trying to assess the situation. Amelia looked at them, but she could only stare, her mind still trying to piece together what had just happened. She struggled to stand up as Edwin stepped forward.

"If you will permit me Princess," he nodded to Amelia before addressing the newcomers. "I am Edwin Cole of Seyruun. I was escorting Princess Amelia here to the city of Nullin when our forces were attacked by bandits." His eyes grew suddenly cold, "Would you care to explain this obvious neglect by your forces?"

The constable's face went pale as the realization of what just happened sank in. "Sey...Seyruun," he looked at Edwin, and then turned his attention to Amelia. "Oh, by Cepheid's grace, I'm terribly sorry about this White Mage-sama," he rushed forward, grabbing a very startled Amelia by the hand and bowing before her. "We had no idea an attack would take place within our borders like this. Such a thing has never happened before. Please forgive us, Princess of Seyruun, I beg you."

Amelia sweat-dropped, placing her free hand behind her head sheepishly. "Um, its okay, really, I'm sure you really didn't know anything and..."

"I promise you!" the constable interrupted, quickly standing up and looking the embarrassed princess straight in the eye. "I swear we will not let these bandits get away. We'll capture every last one of them and have them punished for their evil deeds! You came here to perform a service for our city, and I won't let anyone think we are less than grateful for your sacrifice!"

Amelia blinked twice, taking in the constable's speech. _'Wow, is that what I sound like when I give my justice speeches?'_ The thought brought a blush to her cheeks. Of course it didn't help that the constable was only inches from her face.

The officer turned away to bark orders at his troop, while Amelia turned her attention to her own entourage. She noticed several who were injured, but no one severely. She was also acutely aware of the pain in her leg and arm as she surveyed the group.

"Edwin-san," she began as she turned towards her bodyguard. "Gather everyone up and exit the anti-magic field. I'll try and get everyone healed before we proceed into town."

Edwin nodded, as he started relaying her instructions. Amelia turned once more towards the forest, staring into the foliage, hoping for a small glimpse of _him_. There was nothing, and with a disappointed sigh, she moved on to help her people.

* * *

Zelgadis rushed through the forest, taking the all too familiar path towards Duuchesney and her gang. The Duchess Army had many hideouts and he'd lost track of how many a long time ago. It didn't matter, though; he knew exactly where she was going.

"So what did you guys get?" He could hear her voice now as he quickly approached the run down, wooden shed that served as one of their numerous gathering houses. He slowed down as he approached the doorway, not wanting to surprise her. Surprises could prove lethal where this gang was concerned.

"Not much," another bandit said, "A couple of trinkets, probably magical. A little bit of gold. Not as much as we would expect from Seyruun."

Duuchesney grumbled to herself, "Damn that girl for being right. I was hoping to make a killing with her."

"Duuchesney!"

Everyone looked up to stare at the man standing in the doorway of the shed. Zelgadis stared back at the Duchess, his face a mask of fury. She returned his stare full force, only a slight twitch of her eye revealing how nervous she was.

"What do you want, Zelgadis, I'm in no mood for your stupid lectures."

"You know damn well what I want," he stepped closer to her, still ignoring the other bandits who now stepped back to give them space. "I specifically told you to leave Amelia alone. Why did you attack her?"

"What are you my father now?" she snapped back. "Do I have to get your permission for every raid?"

Zelgadis took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He heard one of the bandits whisper "lovers quarrel" with a chuckle, making his eyes role in disgust.

Duuchesney obviously heard it too, as she whirled around to face the gang. "Everybody out! Now!" The tone in her voice left no question as to what she would do to anyone who disobeyed. It took only a few seconds for Zelgadis and Duuchesney to be completely alone in the shed.

They stared at each other for a few minutes, letting the tension build up between them. Zelgadis was angry, more so than she'd seen him in a long time, which only served to increase her anger.

"So I attacked her, so what?" she said with a shrug, her eyes finally turning away from him. "She's just another target to me. I have to make money some how!"

"You know she wasn't 'just another target.' You picked her out specifically just to smack her around. I told you to leave her alone, why did you so blatantly defy me!"

She snorted, "Last I checked I was the _leader_ of this gang, Zelgadis, not you. I have every right to pick my targets!"

"You had no reason to attack her! You didn't take anything from her, and she certainly didn't do anything to you," he threw up his hands in disgust. "She's a shrine-maiden for crying out loud!"

"Oh, I didn't know there was some specific protocol against robbing a shrine-maiden," she stated with exaggerated and cruel sarcasm. "Shame on me for being so ignorant, next time I'll remember to leave all the goody-goodies alone," she turned an angry stare to Zelgadis again. "Get real, Zel, if I only targeted the bad ones, I'd never get anywhere around here. Pickings are slim enough in this town!"

Zelgadis let out a long sigh of frustration, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. This was getting him no where and he knew it. Best to tell it to her straight and stop beating around the bush. "I know why you really attacked her, Duuchesney," he looked her straight in the eye, making certain she caught every word. "Jealousy is very unbecoming, you know."

He saw her bristle, and knew that his assumption was correct. "How dare you!" she cursed, "I have no reason to be jealous of her!"

"Exactly, which is why you had no reason to attack her."

"I attacked her because I wanted to! If you think I did it because I was jealous of your relationship with her, you've got a bigger ego than I thought."

_'God, why does she always insist on being right, even when she's wrong!'_ he thought. "There was no 'relationship,' how many times do I have to tell you. There was never anything between Amelia and I so just drop it already!"

"No relationship, huh," she scoffed. "How many of these non-existent relationships give you a pink bracelet from her wrist, hmmm?"

Zelgadis noticeably cringed at that one. He had a hard time explaining that one to her, best to try yet another approach. "Look, Duuchesney, whether I had a relationship with her or not doesn't matter. She's only here for the ceremony, then she'll go back to Seyruun and you'll have nothing to worry about."

"What makes you think she won't stay?" she shot back. "She knows you're here now, thanks to that stunt you pulled back there."

"She's the Princess of Seyruun," he responded casually. "She has a responsibility to her people. She couldn't stay even if she wanted to." He felt a twinge of disappointment at the thought, but he hoped Duuchesney hadn't noticed.

The bandit woman took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked at Zelgadis, letting the anger melt away as she regarded him as though for the first time. "Your faultless logic is sickening you know that?"

He smiled, relaxing a bit, "Now will you promise me you won't attack her anymore?"

The bandit-woman frowned, turning away again, "I have no reason to attack her again."

"Promise me, Duuchesney," he said more firmly.

"Alright, alright, I promise, you happy now," she grumbled.

"Not quite," he folded his arms in front of him. "I also want you to return everything you stole from her and apologize to Amelia."

"You've gotta be kidding!" He narrowed his eyes at her, and she sweat-dropped, "You're not kidding…" She folded her arms across her chest, in the same pose as the man she was arguing with. "No way, Zelgadis! I stole that stuff fair and square, it's mine now!"

"You do realize how ridiculous that sounds," he answered. "I say give it back to her. I'm not going to negotiate with you on this, Duuchesney."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but set her jaw stubbornly. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night…

* * *

The city of Nullin did not go back on their promise of making Amelia as comfortable as possible. The Mayor's family, the wealthiest family in the city, agreed to share their spacious home with her and her entourage. Amelia had a very extravagant guest room with a beautiful view of the forest just outside her window, as well as Nullin Lake, just outside the anti-magic border. She had a four poster bed, much larger than she needed, with white lace hangings and gold posts. She also had a dresser and a vanity desk, both with the same gold and white trimmings as the bed. It wasn't as large as her bedroom at home, but it was certainly more beautiful. The bed was so clean and unruffled she was almost afraid to sleep in it.

She sat at the vanity desk now, getting ready to take a bath and wash away the long, tiresome journey. She would be meeting Mayor Ruulin some time in the evening, after she'd had time to freshen up. A bath was going to feel wonderful after today's events.

There was a knock on Amelia's door, and she turned to hear the voice of one of the maids, "White Mage-sama, are you ready for your bath?"

"Almost," Amelia answered, cinching up her robe to make sure she was still modest. She was accustomed to titles, such as "Princess" and "Shrine-Maiden," but the people of Nullin had their own way of addressing her, it seems. "White Mage-sama," was the honorary title given to the white mage who performed magical fusion here. It was a title of the greatest respect, and she was told that for a citizen of Nullin to call her otherwise would be very impolite.

Gathering up her bath accessories and a robe, she stepped out, letting the maid escort her to the bathhouse, located on the eastern wing of the mansion. Amelia was assured she'd be able to bathe by herself today, and since all she wanted to do was relax, that suited her just fine.

She stepped into the bathhouse, and marveled at the site before her. The bathhouse was not a hot-spring, it was completely indoors, but the site was still breathtaking. A large water fall lay to her right, flowing into a small pool below, most likely for taking showers and basic cleansing. A huge pool, set in a fine porcelain-like tub lay in the middle, the water steaming from an unknown heat source. The place was decorated extravagantly with flowers and sculptures, and the smell of lavender and rose filled the air. She wondered how they could have pulled all of this off without the use of magic.

She disrobed and walked over to the waterfall, using it to thoroughly cleanse the trip from her mind and body. After she felt suitably clean, she walked over to the larger pool and stepped into the water. The water encircled her tired body, and she sighed in contentment as she let the weariness and gloom seep out of her.

With the relaxing bath soothing her body, she then let her mind wander to the past events. She'd expected this to be an exciting trip, since she was getting the chance to perform magical fusion once again, but this was way beyond her expectations. She had taken her troupe outside of the border to heal everyone, and as soon as she exited, the overwhelming feeling of dread she had lifted.

Once everyone was healed and she entered the city again, the same, heavy darkness encompassed her again. No one else in her troop seemed affected. She was the most powerful sorceress there, so it made since that it was because of her magic that she felt this way, but she couldn't be sure. She had a feeling there was more to this field than meets the eye.

Then there was that bandit girl. She really seemed to have it in for Amelia, but why? Amelia had never seen her before, but she seemed to know her. Either she knew her from Seyruun, or it had something to do with Zelgadis.

Zelgadis, now he was the biggest mystery of all! Last time she saw him he was in the outer world, searching for his cure. But Nullin, all though close to the Desert of Destruction, was still well within the borders of the old world. She hadn't expected to meet him here of all places.

_'Of course, he obviously found his cure,'_ she thought. _'I guess it doesn't matter where he found it, really, but he'd also promised me he'd come back to Seyruun!'_ She remembered all too well asking him to come back home with her. At first he said he'd "think about it," but after Dark Star was defeated, he turned her down. He preferred to stay in the outer world and continue to search for his cure. He assured her, however, that he'd come back to Seyruun when he was human again, and she gave him her bracelet to seal the deal. _'So, why didn't he return?'_ He wasn't the type to go back on his promises.

It had been three years since she'd seen him. She thought their next meeting would be a joyous reunion, but he only said three words to her. _'I'll contact you.'_ That's it; that was all he said. As much as Amelia believed in Justice and catching the bandits, she'd much rather he had stayed and talked to her then run after them like he did.

He did say he'd contact her though. That meant she had only to wait for his word and she could ask him all the questions she wanted. If only waiting wasn't so hard.

She sank deeper into the water, till only her head was above it. The bath was not proving as relaxing as she'd hoped, but her mind was such a jumble of confused thoughts and questions it couldn't be helped. She couldn't wait for her dinner meeting with the Mayor tonight. It was going to take all of her will power to keep from grilling him for everything he knew.

A noise suddenly caught her attention, and she practically leapt out of the water, her arms crossing over her breasts in a protective and reflexive motion, "Who's there?"

Silence was her only answer. This bath was not connected to the outside, so there had to be something there. Could it be a peeping tom? Maybe one of the maids hadn't heard that she was to have the bath to herself today. She was feeling awfully jumpy for some reason.

After a few moments of silence, she put her hands down, but she was having a hard time relaxing, _'Maybe it was just a cat.'_ Yes, that made sense; an animal snuck into the bath and was making noise.

A strangely familiar voice told her otherwise, "Ah, so you _are_ in here." Amelia practically leaped out of her skin. She covered herself again as she looked around frantically. "Who's there? Show yourself, or I'll call the guards!"

"And if I show myself you won't? I have your word then." The source of the voice stepped out, and Amelia gasped.

It was the bandit-woman. The same bandit who attacked her before. What did Zelgadis call her again? Duuchesney? She was no longer wearing her swords or bandit costume. Shewas now covered only in a towel, holding a wooden container full of bath items. She was all set and ready for a bath.

"How did you get in here? This is the Mayor's house!" Amelia cried out, still holding her breasts.

"I'm aware of that," she said with a grin as she approached. "But this is also the best bath house in town. The public bath house in Nullin has a hell of a time keeping its baths hot. You don't mind if I join you do you?" She started to walk over to where Amelia was sitting.

"Actually, I do," she glared, tensing as Duuchesney came closer. "You'd better get out of here before I really do call the guard!"

The bandit-woman didn't even slow down. "Oh you could do that," she smirked as she came up next to Amelia, "but I happen to know that all the guards here are male. So unless you want an army of men charging into the bathhouse and seeing you in all your glory, Princess…"

Amelia's eyes went wide, and she blushed furiously. There's no way she call the guards now.

Duuchesney let her towel drop and she stepped into the bath, awfully close to where Amelia was sitting, "I knew you were too modest for your own good."

Amelia quickly scooted away from the bandit-woman, scowling, "What are you doing here? Have you come to finish our fight? This is hardly a fitting place for it you know."

"Oh no, I don't fight in bathhouses. I didn't even bring my swords, and I'm pretty much helpless without them," she glanced at Amelia. "Unlike some people..."

She seemed to be acknowledging that Amelia had the advantage here, and that helped Amelia relax a bit. But she still wasn't comfortable knowing the woman who had attacked her and her entourage just this morning was sitting next to her in the bath. _'This just hasn't been my day!'_

Duuchesney stretched in the bath, letting out a sigh of release. "Oh, it feels good in here, don't you think? The Mayor definitely knows how to create a great bathhouse."

Amelia only glared at her, not saying a word. Justice demanded she call the guards and have this woman thrown in jail for her evil deeds. Modesty demanded that she keep her mouth shut and just share the bath. Perhaps if she got out of the tub and got dressed first…

"Hey, where are you going?" Duuchesney complained as Amelia climbed out of the pool. "Hey, don't go!" she leaned against the side of the pool as Amelia picked up her robe and put it on. "I came here to talk to you, Princess. I didn't mean to offend you, really!"

"The only thing we could possibly talk about," Amelia answered as she began walking towards the dressing area, "is how you're going to jail so you can pay for your evil deeds!"

Duuchesney scowled, "You can't be serious. Look, Princess," she quickly added before Amelia could answer. "I came here to apologize to you, okay? I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for attacking you earlier."

Amelia stopped what she was doing, and slowly turned towards Duuchesney. That was not what she was expecting, "You're apologizing?"

"Yea, I am, and I don't do that very often so consider yourself lucky. I even went so far as to return everything I stole from you. You'll find it in your room upstairs, by the way."

Amelia looked at her curiously, then she glared, "Wait a minute, you were in my _room_ too!"

"Security is rather lax around here," the bandit explained with a grin.

"Obviously," she would have to talk to the Mayor about that later. "Well, I _guess_ I can accept your apology." She disrobed and returned to the bath, stepping into the pool next to Duuchesney. "So, is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, no, I had other things I wanted to discuss with you. Like, for starters, I had a few questions about a…mutual acquaintance of ours."

"You mean Zelgadis-san, don't you," Amelia's interest was peaked now. "That's good. I had a few questions of my own to ask you about him."

"Good, an exchange of information seems only fair," she scooted closer to Amelia, and this time the princess did not move away. "So, tell me, what kind of relationship did you have with him?"

"Re…relationship?" she was blushing again. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"I mean, were the two of you ever an item? Lovers, maybe?"

Clearly, Duuchesney was anything but subtle. The Princess hesitated for a moment as she thought about Zelgadis. She knew she had a huge crush on him, and he seemed to be quite fond of her, but… "No, we…we were never more than friends, really."

Duuchesney seemed a little too pleased with that answer. "Good, I was hoping you'd say that. Zelgadis and I have been together for a few months now, and I hate competition."

Amelia's eyes went wide and she gaped at Duuchesney. "Wha…What? You mean you and Zelgadis are…"

"He's a really great in bed, too!"

It didn't occur to Amelia until it was too late that doing a face-vault in a public bathing pool was not a good idea. She quickly came out of the water, coughing and sputtering.

"Geez, Princess, are you okay? Was it something I said?" she tried to show concern in her voice, but Duuchesney was grinning slyly the whole time.

"I'm," cough, "I'm fine, thank you," Amelia responded without looking up. "I just…I just slipped is all." She still didn't look at Duuchesney; the weight of what she had just said was still sinking in. _'So that's why he didn't come back to Seyruun,'_ she thought. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and she could feel the beginnings of a sniffle coming on.

"The bottom's not that slippery. Ah well, I guess it's your turn to ask me a question now."

"Um, well," Amelia began, trying to think of something she wanted to ask her. She preferred something that had absolutely nothing to do with Zelgadis, as she was trying desperately to keep her eyes from watering. But, she just had to know. "How did a bandit like you and Zelgadis-san become…you know…lovers?"

She kicked herself for asking that, knowing that the answer would be painful, but her curiosity got the better of her. Duuchesney was clearly amused by the question, and was more than happy to answer it.

"Well, let's see, where to begin," she leaned back against the tub in thought. "Zelgadis first came to Nullin about a year ago, and as soon as I learned about him, I sought him out. I mean, we don't get many outsiders here in town, especially the young, strong, and handsome types like him. So I found him, one thing lead to another and well…" she shrugged, splashing water as she did so.

Amelia stared, waiting for the rest of the story, but Duuchesney just sat there. "That's it?" Amelia exclaimed.

"What, you were expecting a romance novel or something?" she chuckled. "Look, it just happened. He and I were made for each other and we fell in love. Simple as that!"

"Oh," Amelia turned away, but she couldn't hide her sad expression. "Yea, I…I guess you were."

"So anyway, I answered your question, Princess, so now you have to answer one of mine."

Amelia blinked for a moment, coming out of her thoughts. She'd forgotten about the exchange, "Oh, of…of course. What do you want to know?" Please don't let it be another question about Zelgadis.

No such luck, "So, I've heard my dear Zel is a powerful sorcerer. One of my men witnessed his power, but he won't take me outside the border to show me. So is it true, is he really good, or maybe just an amateur, or what?"

"Oh yes, he's a sorcerer," Amelia responded immediately. "He specializes in shamanist magic, and even taught me a few spells. He's much better than I am."

"Really?" she looked mildly impressed. "That's cool. I wanted him to show me some of his spells, maybe even teach me some. But he won't do it, the jerk."

"Why would you want to learn magic? I thought magic was useless here."

"It isn't out there," Duuchesney gestured in front of her, referring to the world outside of Nullin. "I've always wanted to learn magic, ever since I was a kid, but practitioners of magic are very hard to come by in Nullin, as you may very well imagine. I mean, my parents were both mages, so why can't…" she stopped, suddenly becoming very uncomfortable.

Amelia gazed at the bandit-woman, her expression softening, "Your parents were mages?"

Duuchesney sighed, and then glared at Amelia, "If I answer that question, it's going to count as your next."

Amelia hesitated, then scowled, "Do you really have to keep score? Can't we just talk?" She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.

The blonde sighed. This was clearly a touchy subject for her, "Fine, yea, my parents were mages. Mom and Dad both. They came to Nullin to study magical fusion when I was about four and too young to study it myself." She leaned back in the tub as she thought back on it. "While they were here, however, they both got sick and died out of the blue. I was left an orphan after that."

"Oh, that's awful, I'm so sorry," Amelia said, genuine concern showing in her eyes. "Now I get it! That's why you're a bandit, isn't it?" The princess stood up in the bathwater, getting a surprised look from Duuchesney. "And, thus you were forced into a life of crime to support yourself after your parents were killed!" she placed the back of her hand against her forehead in a dramatic, grief-stricken pose. "A tragic victim of your past, you chose evil over death!"

Duuchesney stared for a minute, and then smirked, "Uh, yea, I'll let you think what you want." She stood up in the pool and stepped out, reaching for her towel and wrapping it around herself.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" Amelia demanded. She still had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.

"I think I've had enough 'girl talk' for one day, so I'm going to go home," she picked up the wooden tub she originally brought in and proceeded to leave. Amelia simply watched, sitting back down in the tub as the bandit-woman walked back towards the dressing area.

"Oh, before I forget," the bandit said, as she turned around to look at the Princess one more time. "Zelgadis gave me a message. He's waiting just outside the mansion grounds and wants you to meet him there. Actually," she continued with a shrug. "I was only supposed to give you the message, not visit you in the bath. But I wanted to make sure you wouldn't try anything with my man before I did. Farewell, Princess." And before Amelia could respond, she disappeared into the back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 3: Black Mage, White Mage  
> Zelgadis and Amelia finally get a chance to speak. And a chance to meet the Black Mage-sama!


	3. Black Mage, White Mage

Amelia had a dinner meeting with the Mayor in about an hour, where she was promised she'd get a chance to meet the Black Mage-sama. But as far as she was concerned, the dinner could wait. Besides, she already had a pretty good idea of who the black mage was.

She got out of the bath as fast as she could, putting her robe on and rushing to her room. She threw on the first, formal dress she pulled out of the drawers, which turned out to be an old off-shoulder aqua dress. She planned on going straight to the dinner after she met up with Zelgadis. She threw on some jewelry, grabbed her dress boots, not bothering to put them on, and ran out the door. Her room wasn't far from the front door; just a quick sprint down the stairs and straight for the door leading outside.

She didn't have to walk far after that. Just outside the gate sat a lone figure, clearly waiting for someone and apparently bored. She noticed once again the dark, violet-blue hair and lightly-tanned skin and couldn't help but marvel at the fact that this was once the stone-skinned chimera she knew.

"Zelgadis-san?" she said tentatively, as she slowly walked up to him. He looked up from his sitting position and smiled at her, standing up as she approached him. "I got your message."

He smiled again as he completed the last few steps to her, but then stopped suddenly. This was the first time he'd had a real chance to look at her since she got here, and to say Amelia had changed was an understatement. For one thing, she met his eyes straight on! The last time he saw her, the tip of her head only came up to his chin, and now she was almost as tall as he was. Zelgadis had never really been all that tall, but the difference still surprised him. He also noticed, with a blush, that she had filled out as well. The 15 year old girl he was so familiar with had turned into an 18 year old woman while he was away.

Of course, the changes he saw in her still couldn't compare to how much _he_ had changed.

Amelia smiled, "I can see now why you were so anxious to find a cure. You're quite handsome."

He blushed, "Thank you, your looking very good yourself, Amelia. You've grown." _'In more ways than one,'_ but he didn't say that out-loud.

"Yea, well, being tall tends to run in the family. You've seen Daddy..."

He certainly had. Prince Philionel was a monster of a man, and more closely resembled a thug than the ruler of Seyruun. "I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising then," he admitted.

There was an awkward silence between them, and Zelgadis shifted from foot to foot, trying to think of something to say. "Um, do you want to go grab something to eat while we talk, Amelia?"

She shook her head, "No, I have a dinner meeting in about an hour with the Mayor."

"Oh, would you like to just go for a walk then?"

She nodded, quickly slipping on the boots she'd grabbed in her rush before starting down the street with Zelgadis. It didn't seem to cure the awkward silence, however, and neither of them spoke as they walked down the darkening streets.

It was evening now, and the sun was just setting over the horizon. Amelia couldn't seem to get her mind off of her conversation with Duuchesney. She had so many questions she was dying to ask Zel, but she was afraid. Afraid of the pain bringing up such a subject would cause her. She looked up into the night sky, gazing at the stars as they shifted and wavered from the visual effects of the anti-magic shield. The image made her stomach churn, and she quickly turned away from it to keep from getting sick.

It was Zelgadis who finally broke the silence between them. With a sigh of conviction, he spoke, "Look, Amelia, I…" he stopped, trying to sort through his thoughts. "I know your wondering why I didn't return to Seyruun after finding my cure, and I just wanted to explain everything."

"Oh, I _met_ the reason why," Amelia answered, trying unsuccessfully to keep the bitterness from her voice.

He stopped in the middle of the street, smiling sheepishly, "Oh, so she told you then."

"A _bandit_!" she whipped around to face him, her anger building up inside her. "How could you fall in love with someone like her, Zelgadis-san? She's a bandit!"

_'Here it comes,'_ he thought to himself. "Yes, Amelia, I know she's a bandit."

"And she's evil!"

"Yes, I know that too," he rubbed his temple, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.

"So how did someone like _her_ get her grubby claws into you! How could she succeed where I…" she stopped, blushing slightly. _'Control yourself, Amelia!'_

He either didn't catch it, or simply ignored it and shrugged, "I'm not completely sure of that myself. She was just persistent, I guess."

_'Persistent?'_ Well, that was definitely something she wasn't. She'd been too afraid of rejection to press the issue, and had simply tried to be patient. She'd just drop hints here and there in the hopes that he'd catch on to her affection. Maybe she'd been a little _too_ patient.

"I'm not sure where to start," he leaned his head back, trying to think before he continued. "Well, it was about a year ago I suppose. I was traveling back from the outer world after finding several books that I thought might help with my cure." He turned a smile to Amelia, "I was, in fact, heading back to Seyruun to get you're help on some of them."

Amelia smiled back and he continued, "I had just passed through the Desert of Destruction and was heading through this forest, unaware that there was a town nearby, when some kid ran by me. It was dusk, so I couldn't see him very well, but the little brat grabbed my money pouch and took off running. Naturally I took off after him.

"I didn't even see the shield until I'd run through it and…" he paused, his eyes shining with joy. "Well, to make a long story short, the shield _cured_ me! I forgot all about the kid after finding out I was normal again. I couldn't believe it. I…I don't know how to describe it, Amelia. It was the happiest day of my life. I was just so…"

He was having a hard time continuing, but Amelia just nodded her head. He didn't really have to explain it.

"Anyway," he continued, blushing from his burst of emotion, "I met Duuchesney only a few days after settling down here. I was working as a guard for Mayor Ruulin when she approached me and returned the money pouch the kid stole from me. As you may have guessed, he was part of her gang, but I didn't find that out until much later." He snickered at the memory. "And, well, that's how we met. Everything just kind of…grew from there."

"Oh," she said, not hiding the disappointment in her voice. "I see."

The air around them grew heavy, even as they started walking again. The streets were fairly quite, the only noise coming from a few shops closing up and the townsfolk doing a few last minute choirs before heading to bed. Amelia's presence had yet to be officially announced, so most of the people didn't recognize her and gazed at her in curiosity. Zelgadis, on the other hand, got a few waves and a hello from a hand full of townsfolk.

It shouldn't have surprised her. It was just strange to see the people regard Amelia with more suspicion than Zelgadis!

"Hey Zel," one of the townsfolk spoke up, catching Zelgadis' attention. He was a middle-aged man, with short, black hair streaked with grey and strong, broad shoulders. He was obviously the owner of this particular general store and was closing up, but he stopped to make small talk.

Zelgadis smiled, clearly recognizing the man, "Heya Sanja." He approached the fence surrounding the shop, leaning against it as he spoke to what was obviously a friend of his. "How are things going with you?"

"Not bad, not bad," he snickered, turning a curious eye to a very anxious Amelia. "So, who's your lady friend there? I don't think I've ever seen her before."

"This is Princess Amelia of Seyruun," he gestured to her and she smiled weakly. "She's an old traveling companion of mine."

"Pleased to meet you," Amelia said as she brought her hand up to shake his.

Sanja didn't seem to notice; his eyes went wide as he gazed at her, "White Mage-sama! By Cephied, I never thought I'd…" he suddenly noticed the hand, and with a nervous blush he composed himself, taking her outstretched hand and kissing it in an awkward attempt at chivalry. "I...I mean it's a pleasure to meet you too, Princess Ame…I mean White Mage-sama."

Amelia smiled and he released her hand, turning back to Zelgadis, "And here I thought you were just boasting when you said you knew her. I'm impressed."

"You really think I'd lie about something like that," Zel smirked.

"Yes, I do," Sanja quickly answered. "Well, anyway, I gotta go back to work. You coming in the morning to help open, Zel?"

Zelgadis nodded, "Yea, I'll be there. Kelp wants me to help at his store, though, so I may have to leave early, if that's alright."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," he winked at Amelia before wandering off. "Take care of her Zel, and I promise I won't tell the Duchess about your new girlfriend." He walked into the store, leaving Zelgadis and Amelia on their own once again.

"It's not like she doesn't know," Zelgadis shook his head, not noticing the sudden frown that crossed Amelia's face until he turned to face her. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," she lied, turning back to the street. "Let's keep going."

They continued to walk down the street in silence once again. Amelia turned to look at Zelgadis; the now normal, human Zelgadis that walked beside her. It seemed his transformation had been more than skin deep; he not only looked normal, he had created a normal life for himself here in Nullin, rather than return to Seyruun like he had promised.

Amelia wasn't so sure she liked this new Zelgadis at all.

"So you work at that store, Zelgadis-san," she asked as they continued.

"Yea, that one and a weapon shop down the street," he said as they walked. "There's not much demand for mercenary work around here, so I took a couple of part-time jobs."

"Sounds like you've really made a home for yourself here," she wanted to be happy for him, but it hurt somehow. She turned her head away from him, hoping he didn't see the pain in her eyes.

He didn't, "Yea, well, it took awhile, but I think I'm doing well now. I had to get use to being normal again first," his eyes had a far-way, dreamy look to them as he thought of his life here in Nullin. "I was a chimera for so long, that it was hard to adjust. Being normal again took a lot of getting use to, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it."

He was smiling, that content smile that only someone who had found what they had wanted more than anything could have. Amelia smiled in turn; even if she couldn't have him anymore, it really did make her glad to see him so happy. This was the life he'd always wanted, and now he had it.

_'Yes,'_ she decided she did like this new Zelgadis that walked beside her. So what if her own dreams where shattered by it; his had come true! That was all that mattered. Right?

A lump formed in her throat and she quickly swallowed it down, taking a deep breath to calm herself. There was no way she would let him see the pain inside of her. She had to be strong! This was best for him and she knew it! She had to be happy, for his sake.

"Well, anyway," she said, trying to change the subject again. "I think it's time I headed back to the mansion. The dinner will be starting soon."

Zelgadis nodded, "Alright, I'll escort you back."

They turned around, her thoughts immediately wandering to the dinner the Mayor had planned; the dinner where she would discover who the Black Mage-sama was. Not that she didn't already know. She was just wondering why Zelgadis hadn't said anything yet.

A mischievous thought occurred to Amelia and, smiling playfully, she turned back to her walking companion, "The Mayor tells me that Black Mage-sama is going to be there too. I'll have a chance to finally meet him."

"Really?" his voice was upbeat, but he gave nothing away. "Do you know who Black Mage-sama is?"

"Nope," she shook her head, still grinning. _'I have a feeling you're going to tell me though.'_

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "I wonder who it is."

Amelia rolled her eyes. It wasn't in Zel's personality to tease her like this, but he _had_ changed since becoming human, after all, "Stop fooling around, Zelgadis-san. I already know it's you, so just fess up already."

She expected him to laugh, throw his hands in the air, and fess up. Instead he turned a perplexed gaze in her direction, "What are you talking about, Amelia? I'm not Black Mage-sama."

Her smile dropped, and she gave him an equally perplexed look, "You…you're not?"

He shook his head, turning back to the road as he spoke, "No, I'm not. I volunteered, of course, but they told me I didn't qualify. The people here believe the Black Mage-sama should at least be able to cast a Dragon Slave. My black magic is powerful, but I've never mastered that particular spell."

"That's ridiculous!" she was disappointed to the point of anger now. "You performed Magical Fusion with me years ago! You are more than qualify to do it here!" She scowled at no one in particular as she continued walking. She wanted to perform fusion with Zelgadis again, was counting on it after she saw that he was here too. Now she had no idea _who_ she'd be performing the ceremony with.

"The fusion magic here is several times more powerful than what we used, Amelia," Zelgadis explained. "Power like this requires equally powerful spell casters. If the fusion ceremony required a shamanist, believe me, I'd be it! I know just about every shamanist spell out there. But it doesn't, so they found someone else better qualified to perform the ceremony with you than me."

"But who," she whimpered, suddenly very nervous. The day that she and Zelgadis had performed Magical Fusion together was one of her fondest memories. It seemed almost…wrong…to perform it with someone else. There was still hope, though, "Maybe it's Lina-san?"

"It's possible," Zelgadis considered it for a moment. "Of course, the Black Mage-sama was decided on over a month ago, and if it was Lina I think I would have seen her around." He shook his head, turning back to the princess, "Chances are better it's someone we don't know, Amelia."

She sighed in defeat, "Yea, I know. I would feel more comfortable if it was someone I _did_ know, however."

"Don't worry about it, Amelia," he gave her a half smile. "I'm willing to bet you've had more experience with Magical Fusion than the Black Mage-sama they chose. If anyone should be nervous, he should be."

She smiled back, but the unease wasn't completely gone. Yet another uncertainty had been added to her repertoire of questions. She could only hope that she'd have most of them answered before she attempted to sleep tonight.

"Well, in that case Zelgadis-san," she said stopping in the road to turn her full attention to him. He stopped as well, turning to face her. "I thought you were already joining me for dinner with the Mayor, but since you're not the Black Mage-sama, I guess that's not the case. So," she paused for dramatic effect. "It would make me feel a whole lot better if you'd join me for dinner today, Zelgadis-san, as my guest. Having someone there I know would make me feel more comfortable with this whole ordeal."

He was taken back a little, "You're inviting me to a dinner with the Mayor?"

"Yes I am," she smiled. It was almost like asking him out on a date, but she had a feeling if she said that he wouldn't come (although he did ask her to dinner first…) "I don't think the Mayor would mind if I brought a friend, really, and I'd very much like you to be there."

Zelgadis thought about this for a moment, and then sighed. He turned back to her and grinned. "Sure, I'll come, as long as the Mayor is okay with it."

"Lucky!" she squealed, dropping her formal air to grab his hand and pull a very startled Zelgadis towards the house. "Come on! This will be so much more fun with you around Zelgadis-san!"

* * *

The dining room was as Amelia expected it to be, smaller than the one she knew in Seyruun, but no less grand. The table was set with a white-lace tablecloth, and was surrounded by dark, intricately carved, cherry wood chairs. The tables were set with finely painted porcelain dishes, clearly from her home of Seyruun, and candles surrounded, at a safe distance, a beautiful vase of flowers. It was a setting worthy of a Princess.

Amelia looked at Zelgadis, who was looking around at the setting, clearly impressed. There were five settings, one placed just moments before for Zelgadis. Only two of the seats were taken, however. The Mayor, an elderly man with a portly belly and a jovial, clean shaven face sat in one of the chairs, wearing a fine, apple green and gold laced doublet. Next to him was as an elderly, equally-chubby woman, most likely the Mayor's wife, and she was wearing a matching green and gold laced gown. Amelia already knew the Mayor, which meant the Black Mage-sama was not here, although a setting was clearly placed for him.

The Mayor stood up as soon as he noticed Amelia and her guest. "White Mage-sama," he came around from the table and took both of her hands in his to show his respect, "I am so pleased to have you in my home." He gestured towards the woman still sitting at the table, "Let me introduce you to my wife, Ladia."

Amelia smiled, nodding towards the woman at the table, who returned the gesture. "The pleasure is all mine, thank you," Ladia said with a gracious smile.

Amelia gestured towards Zelgadis, "This is an old friend of mine, Zelgadis-san. I wanted to thank you for allowing him to eat with us."

"Oh, not at all, the more the merrier, right?" he smiled, nodding towards Zelgadis, who returned his nod politely.

"You may remember me saying that I've performed magical fusion before, Mayor Ruulin," Amelia continued. "Zelgadis-san here is the one I performed it with."

"Oh, I see," he smiled. "So you're a black mage as well?"

"Well, kind of," was all Zelgadis said.

The Mayor turned back to the Princess and frowned, "I heard about the trouble outside of town. I hope you will forgive us. Our intention was to have your journey be as pleasant as possible. I never expected the Duchess Army to attack you within the border."

Amelia blinked in surprise, "Duchess Army?"

"Duuchesney's gang," Zelgadis answered. She looked at him, but he was turned away. He didn't seem to want to look at her at that moment.

"Yes," the Mayor continued. "Based on the description we got from you and your people, we know it was none other than Duuchesney's gang, the Duchess Army. She's been a plague on us for years now, but I never expected her to attack our cities salvation like that. She benefits from the protection of the field as much as everyone else." There was an extreme disappointment in the Mayor's face that wasn't lost on Amelia, but before she could say something he turned away and walked back to the table. "Please have a seat, White Mage-sama, Zelgadis-san. We have a lot to discuss about your purpose here."

Amelia managed a small smile as she and Zel sat down across from them at the dining table. A waiter immediately entered the room, putting before her a bowl of an unfamiliar, creamy vegetable soup. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but she didn't want to be rude, so she took her spoon and tasted the soup.

"I was hoping our Black Mage could have been here, too," Mayor Ruulin stated, after taking a spoonful of soup as well. "I wanted you to meet him, but he said he had business elsewhere and would be arriving late. Don't worry, though, he promised to be here as soon as possible."

Amelia nodded. She looked to Zelgadis, the anxiety evident in her face. He just smiled reassuringly.

"Well, I'd like to thank you once again for agreeing to come here, White Mage-sama, especially on such short notice. We had a white mage here only a month ago, primed and ready to perform the ceremony for us, when he became violently ill all of a sudden and died," the Mayor sighed, genuinely saddened by the whole ordeal. "It was tragic on all accounts."

Amelia stared at the Mayor, her eyes wide with shock. "He…he died? But, the letter you sent me only said he'd grown ill!"

"Yes, and at the time that I sent the letter, that was all he was," the Mayor turned his face away with a frown. "He died soon after I sent it to you."

"Why wasn't he healed?" Amelia asked, greatly concerned. "If he was strong enough to perform the ceremony, he was more than strong enough to heal himself."

"Yes, he was," the Mayor answered, "but he was the only one who could. We have no practitioners of white magic in our town, as you can imagine, and the assistants he brought with him were not powerful enough to counter the illness. By the time we knew he was sick, he'd already grown too ill to use his magic. We had our best doctors helping him, but it was to no avail."

The Mayor looked up at his guests, and quickly noted the look of concern on Amelia's face, "Oh, do not concern yourself, White Mage-sama," he quickly said, sensing the mood was getting dark. "The field will be going down in less than a week, and we have to make sure you're ready to perform the ceremony then. Tomorrow, I plan on taking you and Black Mage-sama down to the alter room personally, and I'll give you a more detailed explanation of the ceremony."

He took another sip of his soup, and Amelia did the same. The soup was actually making her feel better, so she was eating a little more of it.

Zelgadis decided to speak up, "So just how is this ceremony performed anyway? When we did it, we used a couple of magical vessels to combine white and black magic. Do you have something similar here?"

"Vessels?" the Mayor answered, "No, we don't use vessels here. I'm not sure how you performed Magical Fusion, but here we use three artifacts, two rings and an altar."

Mayor Ruulin sat up, preparing to explain the process. "Each artifact has a specific purpose in the ceremony. The first ring amplifies black magic, and is worn on Black Mage-sama's right hand. The other ring amplifies white magic, and is worn in the White Mage-sama's left hand. The altar itself is what fuses the powers together to create Fusion Magic. When the ceremony is performed, the Couple stands before the altar, facing each other, and they clasp their ring hands together. They then channel their power into the altar, which takes that power and creates the shield around Nullin. Fairly simple really."

"I see," Amelia stated. She was feeling much better now that the soup was in her system. "It sounds very similar to an old-fashioned Elmekian Wedding Ceremony."

"It is."

Amelia spat out the soup she had in her mouth, coughing and choking as she abruptly stood up in her seat, spilling her soap onto the floor. Zelgadis' only barely dodged the spillage. "Wha-What! You mean I have to marry the black mage!"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Mayor Ruulin had his hands up, trying to calm Amelia down. "It's _based_ on the Elmekian Wedding, but it's not a real wedding. Your not marrying anybody, I assure you."

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief and sat down again. Ladia, the Mayor's wife spoke up this time, "The ceremony is based on the legend of the First Couple, the sorceress Hola, and the cleric Udrin, who first put the anti-magic barrier around our town. The two of them were lovers, and that's why the fusion ceremony is based on a wedding ceremony."

The portly woman sat back, preparing to relate the story, "According to the legend, the First Couple were very much in love. So much so that they wanted to perform a very special wedding ceremony, one that would fuse their very souls together for all eternity. They immediately began work on special rings and an altar on which to perform the ceremony."

There was a strange glint in the woman's eyes. Ladia was a romantic, who loved telling this story, "Of course, the Mazoku got wind of the ceremony, and they felt that such a fusion of two lovers would be a threat to them. So they attacked our poor city, trying to get to the couple and kill them. The couple had no choice but to perform the ceremony early, but when they did so, Hola's black magic, and Udrin's white magic fused and formed a powerful barrier around the entire town. The barrier killed all the demons that where inside the town, and prevented Mazoku, demons, and monsters from entering. And thus, the anti-magic field was born."

Ladia gave a romantic sigh as she finished her story, "It's the shortened version, but that's basically the gist of it."

"A bunch of nonsense if you ask me," the Mayor piped in, receiving a glare from his wife. "I don't know much about Mazoku, but I never heard of them going after a couple of humans just because they were in love."

"It's all true! And it's a beautiful story," Ladia spat back, stubbornly folding her arms in front of her.

"At any rate," the Mayor continued, "the story about the ceremony is true. The First Couple wanted to be married, so they cast the anti-magic field around their own wedding ceremony. So now we simply do it the same way every 100 years, since we don't know any other way to perform the ritual."

Amelia nodded. The story did seem somewhat fabricated, but she wasn't so sure Ladia was that far off. Mazoku are a demonic race of creatures that live on the Astral Plane. They were the children of the Dark Lord, Ruby-Eyed Shabranigdo and like Shabranigdo they could feed off the negative emotions of humans. Fear, hatred, and pain fueled a Mazoku's power and made them stronger.

But Amelia had discovered, through personal experience, that Mazoku could also be weakened by positive emotions, such as joy, love, and life. She smiled at Zelgadis, who sweat-dropped nervously. The story Ladia told may not have been too severe a fabrication.

"My Lord," a servant had come to the door just behind Zelgadis and Amelia, his head bowed low. "The Black Mage-sama has arrived and is ready to join you."

"Oh, excellent, he's finally here," the Mayor stood up. "Please let him in. Oh, you two are going to love Black Mage-sama, he's such a charming young man."

Zelgadis and Amelia turned towards the door, as the last guest entered. Neither of them was quite prepared for the shock of seeing who entered through it.

"Well, well, fancy seeing Zelgadis-san here. Long time no see. And Amelia-san, it's good to see you too. It seems I'll be performing the Magical Fusion ritual with you. How about that?"

Their response was simultaneous, "Xellos!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 4: The Chimera's Cure  
> So what is Xellos doing in a city with an anti-Mazoku shield? That is a secret! (You knew I was going to say that, didn't you? :P)


	4. The Chimera's Cure

"Impossible!" Zelgadis cried out furiously, standing up so fast his chair toppled over. "You can't be here! The very nature of this place prevents Mazoku from entering!"

Amelia could only stare in shock. She was rendered completely speechless at the site of the trickster priest.

The Mayor was rather surprised at their reaction, "You mean you know him?"

Xellos merely shrugged, still grinning. He wasn't much to look at really. He wore a loose fitting, tan shirt with black pants and an equally black cape. His hair was dark purple, cut in the page-boy haircut that was popular among priests. His face was handsome, if somewhat boyish looking, and his eyes always seemed to be closed.

"Yes, we know him," Zelgadis said to the Mayor. "Wish I didn't."

"How rude," Xellos responded. "Honestly, Zelgadis-san, you shouldn't make such comments. I _am_ here to save the town of Nullin, after all, right Amelia-san?"

"I'm marrying a monster…" Amelia's eye and lip twitched uncontrollably. She quickly shook herself out of it and glared at Xellos. "This can't be! I couldn't possibly perform Magical Fusion with a Mazoku!"

The Mayor was getting an earful, and he wasn't sure what was going on, "Are you two feeling okay?"

Xellos spoke up, "Don't worry about them, Mayor-san, their just shocked at seeing an old friend after so long. It has been, what, three years since I last saw you two."

"You're not my friend," Zelgadis growled. "And there's no way in hell Amelia is going to perform Magical Fusion with you. Who knows what would happen with a union like that!"

"Oh," Xellos was very amused. "And I suppose you know of someone else in this town that can do it, hmm?"

"I'll do it if I have to. We've done it before!"

"Zelgadis-san, can you cast a Dragon Slave?"

"Where does it say you have to be able to cast a Dragon Slave to perform Magical Fusion?"

The Mayor coughed to get their attention, "Um, experience, Zelgadis-san." Everyone turned to him as he continued timidly. "Two hundred years ago, the Fourth Couple, as we like to call them, were a couple of lower-classed mages. We couldn't find anyone stronger, and so they performed the ritual. It worked to the extent that magic could not be used within the barrier, but it failed to keep the monsters and Mazoku out like it had for centuries. They were very hard times for Nullin, it's a miracle we even survived them.

"That is why it is imperative that Black Mage-sama and White Mage-sama be able to cast the most powerful spells in their class in order to create this field. We have to be certain they're powerful enough to create the kind of shield we need here. I'm sorry, Zelgadis-san, but if you can't do it, then the only person we have is Xellos here."

Amelia spoke up again, "But…but he's a Mazoku! The ritual can't be performed with a member of the Race of Evil!"

"Mazoku?" the Mayor answered. "My dear, does he look like a Mazoku to you?"

"Mayor Ruulin, have you ever _seen_ a Mazoku before?" Amelia shot back at him.

There was silence in the room for several moments, before the Mayor crossed his arms in front of him stubbornly.

"I've seen pictures!"

Zelgadis and Amelia face-vaulted.

"Besides," the Mayor continued, "the anti-magic field prevents Mazoku and other monsters from entering our city, so it would simply be impossible for Xellos to be a Mazoku!"

Amelia and Zelgadis had no explanation for that, but they _knew_ Xellos was a Mazoku, he'd never denied it to them. What was going on here?

"Mayor-san," Xellos interjected. "May I sit down and eat? I don't want to be standing here forever."

"Wha…oh yes, yes of course, Black Mage-sama, pardon my rudeness. We have a place set for you next to White Mage-sama here."

Xellos walked up, his staff clicking on the floor as he took his place next to a very nervous Amelia, "So what is it we're having? Ooooh, Evankion Soup. Nullin is famous for this dish." He dipped a spoon into the soup, but before he could lift it to his mouth, Amelia grabbed his arm.

"Mayor-san," she said with a nervous grin. "Would you please excuse Zelgadis-san, Xellos-san, and I for a moment? We need to talk."

"Uh, well, sure, um, if you must," the Mayor was still horribly confused.

"Thank you, we'll be back shortly."

"But Amelia-san, I haven't eaten yet!" Xellos complained as he was dragged from his chair to the door.

"You're a Mazoku, you don't need to eat."

"But I'd like to!"

Zelgadis followed, still glaring daggers at Xellos as they exited the dining room and headed for Amelia's room.

* * *

"Goodness, Amelia-chan, we're not even married yet, and you're already inviting me to your room. I never would have…"

"I'm not marrying anybody," Amelia practically screamed as she closed the door behind Zelgadis. "And stop saying such ridiculous things! We're here to talk!"

"I think you have a lot of explaining to do, Xellos," Zelgadis interrupted, still glaring at the Mazoku in front of him. "For starters, how can you even be here? The field around this place is supposed to be capable of keeping your kind out! Was that a lie?"

"Oh, it's no lie," Xellos answered calmly, sitting down on Amelia's bed. "As far as I know, I'm the only Mazoku capable of entering the field without being knocked back into the Astral Plane. Even Beastmaster-sama has trouble coming here."

"But how are you able to come here when even the Dark Lords can't?"

"Oh, that's a secret. Next question?"

Amelia sighed, "That's definitely the Xellos-san we know."

Zelgadis was not amused, "Don't you dare pull stuff like that here, Xellos! If you're to perform the ritual with Amelia, we want to know everything you're up to!"

"Oh, you know full well I can't tell you _everything_ , Zelgadis-san, that would ruin all the fun," he still had a calm smile on his face that was irritating Zeladis to no end. "But you're more than welcome to ask. Who knows, I might just answer!"

"Alright then," Zelgadis crossed his arms in front of him. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to perform Magical Fusion with Amelia-chan," the Mazoku answered casually. "I thought we already established that."

Zelgadis was not amused, "Considering the shield is designed to keep Mazoku out, I find it hard to believe you really plan on restoring it. What reason do you have to perform the ritual?"

"Oh, well, this place doesn't concern us as much as it use to, back when we were after the First Couple about 500 years ago. Now it's become a bit of a personal pet project for the Dark Lords."

"A pet project?" they both asked simultaneously.

"Yes, so I'm here to perform the Magical Fusion ritual; that is my current mission."

"Wait a minute," Amelia spoke up, "you mean you really were after the First Couple 500 years ago? That story about going after them because of their undying love for each other is true?"

Xellos' opened his eyes to give Amelia a puzzled look, before closing them again with a laugh, "Oh, that! I've heard that story too. No, no, we had no interest in the loving bride and groom. We were only interested in one of their wedding gifts."

"And what wedding gift might that be," Zelgadis asked. "And if you tell me it's a secret…"

"Oh, it's no secret, Zelgadis-san. I believe you're quite familiar with the item, a certain Orihalcon Statue of a beautiful woman containing a fragment of the staff that holds up the world."

"The Philosopher's Stone was _here_?" Zelgadis couldn't hide the shock in his voice.

" _'Was'_ being the key word," Xellos responded. "Obviously you know what became of the Philosopher's Stone eventually, but 500 years ago we were still looking for it. We tracked it down to Nullin, among the gifts given to the First Couple. We, the Mazoku, came to take it from them and so they set up this anti-magic barrier during their wedding ceremony and drove us out."

Xellos leaned back against the pillow, putting his hands behind his head to make himself comfortable. "We tried again every 100 years when the shield went down, and were only able to enter when the Fourth Couple you heard about failed to create a shield powerful enough to keep us out. But, by that time, the statue was gone, and we were back to square one."

Zelgadis' eye twitched, but he tried to ignore the fact that Xellos was laying down on _Amelia's_ bed, "So why come back here? I swear, Xellos, if this little 'pet project' of yours is going to hurt Amelia in any way…"

Xellos shrugged. "Don't you worry about Amelia; I've performed Magical Fusion before; more than once, in fact. It's always worked for me before, and it will work just as well now."

"That's easy for you to say," Amelia whispered it, but she knew the other two could hear her.

Zelgadis looked to Amelia. It didn't take an expert to see she was scared, even more now than she was before. He was still looking at Amelia, but he directed his question to the priest, "So now this is just a 'pet project?'"

"Yes!"

"And you intend to use Amelia like a guinea pig for your so-called pet project," he clenched his fist in front of him

"Hmmm, I guess you could put it that way, yes!"

Zelgadis lunged forward, grabbing Xellos by his cloak and pulling him roughly off the bed. He brought Xellos' face up against his, growling at the still smiling Mazoku priest, "Damn you Xellos, this isn't a game! What is going to happen to Amelia when you perform fusion together? Tell me the truth, or I'll make you regret ever coming here!"

"How am I supposed to know?" Xellos shot back. "You're the only one who's performed Fusion Magic with Amelia-chan, so you tell me!"

Xellos had him there. With a growl of frustration, Zelgadis threw the priest back, forcing him to fall back onto Amelia's bed. Xellos lifted himself into a sitting position as Zelgadis turned away, putting his back to both Amelia and Xellos.

"I have no intention of hurting Amelia-chan, Zelgadis-san," Xellos said, his narrow eyes turned towards the shamanist. "You don't need to be so paranoid."

"Then why are you here, Xellos," he snapped back. "What is it you want from this place? Are you here to destroy the shield?"

"Oh no," he responded. "The Dark Lords would be angry if I destroyed the shield. And believe me, I don't want to make them angry."

"Then what do you want?" Zelgadis clenched his fists, but still didn't look at Xellos.

"It's not about what _I_ want," he sounded like he was explaining the obvious. "The shield around this place has become a source of great…interest…to the Mazoku. I was ordered to perform the ceremony by Beastmaster-sama, and I'm here to do just that," he shrugged, still grinning. "Anything more than that is more than you need to know."

Zelgadis let his breath out in exasperation. He should have known that would be the answer. But it didn't matter; whatever Xellos was planning it couldn't be good. Lina may trust the Mazoku, but he certainly did not.

"Amelia," Zelgadis said abruptly. "I highly recommend you pick up your entourage and leave Nullin as soon as possible. Performing the Magical Ritual with a Mazoku may not do anything to you, but I don't think you should be taking that kind of risk. Xellos is up to something, as usual, and I don't want to see you a part of it," he stepped towards the door, marking the end of the conversation.

Amelia flinched, "But…Zelgadis-san!"

"How insulting," Xellos replied. "Now, Zelgadis-san, would you really be willing to give up your cure so readily?"

Zelgadis stopped at the door, but didn't turn around. Xellos grinned wickedly, "Yes, I thought that would get your attention. You are aware that you're telling Amelia-chan to ruin your only chances at being a normal human, right Zelgadis-san? Rather foolish, don't you think?"

"His cure?" Amelia was just confused. "But how can he give up his cure when he already has it?"

"I take it you haven't explained the situation to her yet, Zelgadis-san," Xellos smirked

Amelia looked to Zelgadis questioningly, but he still had his back them. There was something he wasn't telling her, "Zelgadis-san, what is he talking about?"

"I'm merely saying," Xellos continued, taking advantage of his leverage, "that his cure lasts only as long as the anti-magic shield is up. You can refuse to perform Magical Fusion with me, Amelia-chan, but if you do, he will turn back into a chimera just as soon as the shield goes down."

"You have a very big mouth, Xellos," Zelgadis growled.

"Big mouth? You usually accuse me of _withholding_ information, Zelgadis-san. I do wish you'd make up your mind."

"So," Amelia interrupted, still speaking to Zelgadis "your saying that you're human only as long as you're within the borders of Nullin?"

Zelgadis finally turned to look at Amelia, opening his mouth to say something, _'but what?'_ He didn't want to be the reason she performed a risky ritual with Xellos, but he also didn't want the shield to go down.

It was all the answer Amelia needed, "Zelgadis-san, Xellos-san did say there was nothing to worry about. If this shield is the key to your cure, then I will perform the ritual with him."

"But Amelia…"

She stopped him with an upraised hand, "You wanted your cure more than anything in the whole world, Zelgadis-san. I promised you I'd do everything I could to help. I meant it, and 'everything' includes performing Magical Fusion with a Mazoku."

He just looked at her, stunned and speechless. The look on her face made it clear she wasn't going to change her mind about this, and he sighed in defeat.

"Now that that is settled," Amelia said, walking towards the door, "let's get back to the Mayor. We've kept them waiting long enough, I think."

* * *

The rest of the dinner went off without a hitch. Zelgadis said nothing, and refused to even look at Xellos, who was making very polite dinner conversation with the Mayor and his wife. Amelia could only watch in amazement as Xellos used his charm to completely mesmerize their hosts. _'There's no way we'd ever convince them he's a Mazoku now. He just seems so…human.'_

Amelia sighed, gazing down at her food. The waiter had brought out the main course shortly after they'd returned, consisting of prime steak, slow-roasted potatoes, and mixed vegetables. It was a wonderful meal, but once again she found she wasn't that hungry.

"Zelgadis-san," she said, just loud enough for only him to hear. He turned to the sound of her voice. "I'm sorry I got you involved in this. I shouldn't have been so selfish."

Zel sighed, turning his head away, "Don't worry about it Amelia. I only regret that _I'm_ your reason for going through with this. I still think you should just leave before something bad happens to you."

"I know," she responded, still speaking only to him. "Once this is all over, then we'll decide what to do about it. For now, your cure is in my hands and I'm not going to fail you."

Zelgadis put his fork down and looked at Amelia with such intensity she was taken back. "Amelia, I'm going to find out just what that Mazoku is up to. I _will_ know what his plans are, so don't you worry about any of this. If Xellos has something up his sleeve that will hurt you or the anti-magic shield, I'll find out about it and I will stop him." His eyes narrowed, stealing a quick glance towards the Mazoku sitting on the other side of her. "I promise you that!"

He turned away, bringing his attention back to the meal in front of him, and ignoring the fact that Amelia was staring intensely at him. Neither one of them noticed Xellos, who's eyes opened ever so slightly. His eyes were as purple as his hair; eyes that turned towards Zelgadis. He sneered to himself, _"We'll just see about that…Zelgadis-san."_

* * *

The altar room where the ceremony was to be performed was located in the center of town, in what looked like a miniature, metallic shrine with gold trim. A tiny mote and a well-kempt garden of flowers surrounded the shrine, making it clear this was considered to be a holy place to the people of Nullin.

The shrine was only the size of a small shed, but it only held the stairs that lead down to the altar room. The altar room itself, which was only a few feet underground, was actually quite spacious, and as expected resembled a wedding chapel on the inside, with benches all along the edge and an altar at the head.

The place was designed to hold over a fifty guests, but for now there were only three people here, the Mayor, Xellos, and Amelia.

Amelia looked around the area nervously. She'd been assured time and time again it wasn't a real marriage, but it was still nerve-racking to see. The First Couple had been married here, and every ritual in Nullin had been performed here ever since, performed the same way to make sure there were no mistakes. No vows were exchanged, of course, but it was still eerie.

The Mayor walked over to a cabinet just behind the altar to retrieve something while Amelia continued to look around. Since this area was over 500 years old, everything in the altar room had to be refurbished and restored, so it all looked brand new. The only thing that hadn't changed over the years was the altar at the center of the room, one of the original artifacts.

Amelia gazed at it in awe. It resembled a pulpit, as tall as Amelia's chest, but if you didn't know better, you'd think it was just an ordinary hunk of wood. Everything in this place was so beautiful and expertly crafted, that it surprised Amelia at just how… _plain_ it looked. No carvings, no jewels or gold, or fringe; it was a simple, polished, pine-wood altar. It was in incredibly good condition for being over 500 years old, but it was still quite simple.

"Not what you were expecting is it," the Mayor commented, observing Amelia's expression as she gazed at the altar. "We were a very poor village 500 years ago, with a very simple church, and that plain wooden altar is all that's left of it now. But, I guess it didn't stop the First Couple from enchanting it like they did." He smirked, and placed a small, golden jewelry box on top of the altar. "The other two artifacts are a little more impressive."

He opened the box, revealing a beautiful, pink silk cushion inside. Resting on top of it were two golden wedding bands. One band contained a smooth red stone, the other a blue stone, and she could see engravings on each, but couldn't quite tell what they were.

"Alright then," the mayor said, leaving the rings where they were, "Black Mage-sama, you stand to the right of the altar. No, no, _my_ right. White Mage-sama, stand to the left…that's it. Now, each of you take the rings that are in front of you."

Amelia picked up the gold ring with the blue stone, and Xellos took the other. Now that she held it, she could see that the ring held a simple engraving of a familiar dragon on it, an engraving of the dragon god, Ceiphied. _'I see, so naturally this is the white ring. The black ring must have an image of Shabranigdo.'_

"Well, don't just stand there," the Mayor interrupted her thoughts. "Put them on! The black ring goes on the right hand and the white ring goes on the left."

Amelia obliged, slipping the ring onto her finger and gazing at it. It was a simple gold band, but still very lovely, and she smiled as she looked at it.

"It looks very lovely on you, Amelia-chan," Xellos commented, and she blushed.

"Alright, then, the next part of the ceremony…"

"Um, Mayor-san," Amelia asked timidly.

"Yes, White Mage-sama?"

"Do you really have to stand _there_ for this ceremony?"

"No, I don't have to be here at all. Why do you ask?"

The Mayor didn't seem to notice that he was standing on the other side of the altar, holding the ring box like a book, and looking very much like the priest who was about to perform the wedding ceremony. She looked at Xellos, who merely grinned back, making Amelia all the more nervous.

"Oh, never mind," she surrendered, getting an annoying chuckle from Xellos. She just had to keep reminding herself that she was _not_ marrying a Mazoku.

"Okay, then, the next step is simple. Raise your ring hands to eye level, and then clasp them together. Make sure the rings make contact with each other."

Amelia's fingers intertwined with Xellos'. He was still wearing his white gloves, and the fabric felt cool and silky to the touch. It wasn't unpleasant, and as she held his hand she began to feel the warmth underneath the silk gloves. It was incredibly awkward to say the least, and his constant smiling wasn't making it any better.

"Very good, now you need to…Oh, just one moment, I almost forgot," the Mayor removed the pink cushion that the rings had been laying on to reveal two scraps of paper underneath. He picked them up, quickly gazed at them, and then handed one to Xellos and the other to Amelia. "You have to recite this spell to activate the rings. This will boost your black and white magic respectively and simultaneously. Please memorize them."

Amelia gazed at the paper, trying to ignore the fact that her other hand was still clasped with the Mazoku's. It was a simple mantra, very similar to the one Lina used to for her amplification amulets. Only this one called on the power of Ceiphied, rather than the Dark Lords, and thus only boosted white magic.

"Well, go ahead you two. Don't worry; the anti-magic field prevents any of this from actually working, so we can practice this ceremony exactly as it is performed."

Amelia took a deep breath, and began reciting the spell, "Lord of Light that shines in the Heavens above!"

She could also hear Xellos reciting it in front of her, "Lord of Darkness, whose eyes glow-red upon the Sea of Chaos."

The second part was identical for both of them, "I call upon you! Grant me all the power that you possess!"

Nothing happened, as the Mayor had said, "Very good, now," the Mayor continued. "The rings will start to glow, and you should feel the power as well. Once that happens, place your opposite hands upon the altar. Doesn't matter where, just as long as you're touching the altar…Very good, now at this time you channel your power into the altar. You need only start casting a black and white magic spell respectively, and the altar will do the rest. Simple as that. Any questions?"

Amelia released Xellos' hand, grateful for the broken contact. "No, I don't think so," Amelia said. "It is rather simple."

"I agree," Xellos spoke, removing the ring from his finger and returning it to the box. Amelia followed suit, also handing the paper back.

"Oh, no, keep that White Mage-sama," the Mayor said. "Be sure to memorize it and return it when you do."

Amelia nodded, slipping the paper into her pocket. She could only guess that Xellos had done the same, for he wasn't holding it anymore. He had walked over to one of the benches where he sat down, relaxing on the bench next to his staff.

"Well, I hope the two of you will excuse me," The Mayor said as he closed the box with the rings and returned it to the cabinet. "The people here in town are making preparations for a celebration the day before the shield is to go down, and I must attend to it. Feel free to practice a little more if you like, or just go about town. Black Mage-sama, I can trust you to lock up once you leave, right?"

"Of course, Mayor-san, I'm on the job," the Mazoku gave a playful salute.

The Mayor left, leaving Amelia to her thoughts as she continued to gaze around the room. Xellos didn't give her much of a chance to contemplate, however, before he started making conversation.

"Oh, it so amusing to hear the kind of assumptions you humans make when memories are distorted by just a few hundred years," he smirked, still relaxing on the bench.

Amelia turned to him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Mayor-san seems to think it was the First Couple who created that altar. A ridiculous notion. No _human_ could create such an artifact."

"So, you're saying the rings and altar were not created by…"

"Oh, the rings yes," he said leaning forward a bit as he faced Amelia. His eyes still appeared to be closed, but she knew he was looking at her. "The First Couple did indeed create those wonderful rings, and very impressive artifacts they are too, wouldn't you agree? Oh, well, except we actually haven't seen them in action. Well, at any rate, the rings they made; the _altar_ they did not."

"I see. So who made the altar?" her curiosity was peaked now, and Xellos grinned.

"That is a secret," Amelia glared at him, but he brought his hands up defensively. "It's a secret even to me, Amelia-chan. I know only that the altar was created over a thousand years ago, and it could _not_ have been created by humans. My guess is it was created around the same time as the magical vessels of Alto and Baritone."

"That makes sense," Amelia said, gazing at the altar again. It still looked so plain; it was hard to believe it was such a powerful artifact as everyone said. "I guess that explains why it's capable of creating a field strong enough to kill Mazoku."

"And yet another fabrication by the humans here," Xellos responded, raising his finger up in emphasis.

"Huh?"

"The field doesn't _kill_ Mazoku. Trust me, if it did, I wouldn't have even attempted to enter this town," he said with a smirk. "The humans here just think we die because we tend to vanish before their very eyes when we enter the field, and are never heard from again.

"You see, my dear Amelia-chan," he continued. "All the field really does is negate the magic that gives us our astral bodies here in your world. But we don't die; we just get kicked back to the Astral Plane. It's kind of like a really annoying bouncer telling us we're not welcome in the bar anymore. It hurts to be booted, but only very weak demons could possibly be killed by it."

"Wow, you're a fountain of knowledge today, aren't you?" Amelia asked, her suspicions finally getting the better of her.

"I just thought you'd like to know," he said with a shrug. "And besides, the fairy tales the people of this town keep feeding you are quite embarrassing to the Mazoku. They make us sound so pathetic, and I'd hate to see you lose your respect for us."

"You've got quite the ego to think we _respect_ your people at all," Amelia scolded. "You are evil beasts who feed off of humans negative emotions. We have every reason to despise you!"

"I said 'respect,' Amelia-chan. I didn't say you had to like us."

She didn't answer, but turned away in a huff.

"Anyway, you should be grateful the shield doesn't kill us Amelia-chan," he said, leaning back against the bench once more. "If it did, you're precious Zelgadis-san would be dead now."

That got her attention, and she turned back to the smug looking Mazoku. "What do you mean? How could it kill him?"

"Zelgadis-san is part demon," he said casually. "When he enters the field, the brau demon that makes up a portion of his form is separated to the Astral Plane. However, it is not destroyed, just separated, which is fortunate for him. If it was destroyed…" He let the thought drop, but he didn't need to say more.

"What about the golem?"

"Well, I'd have to know more about how his chimera body was created in the first place, but I'm guessing it's attached to the demon somehow. Or it could be because a golem is also a magical creature and cannot exist inside this anti-magic field.

"At any rate, it doesn't matter. Zelgadis-san may look and even feel completely human while he's here, but he's no more human than he was before."

She looked to Xellos, a very serious expression crossing her face, "So this shield isn't really a cure, is it? It's more like a…a treatment, I guess."

Xellos nodded, "Gets rid of the symptoms, but not the curse itself. Bingo!"

Amelia stared at Xellos curiously, "Why are you telling me this, Xellos-san?"

"I thought you wanted to be informed," he answered smugly.

"You just told me this isn't a real cure for Zelgadis-san, knowing that that's the reason I'm still here. I thought you _wanted_ me to perform this ceremony?"

"I do," he answered quickly. "As I said earlier, I'd be in a great deal of trouble with the Dark Lords if I didn't. I'm just trying to determine just how dedicated _you_ are to performing it."

"I'm very dedicated, Xellos-san," she said forcefully. "This may not be a real cure for Zelgadis-san, but it's the best he's found. And if he's happy with it, then I'm happy with it."

Xellos smirked, "You're still in love with him aren't you?"

Amelia's eyes went wide, and her face turned a deep shade of red and she stammered, "What…how can you..I mean …" She stopped, taking a deep breath, her face falling into a frown, "It doesn't matter, Xellos-san. He's with…someone else right now. Whether I love him or not doesn't matter."

"Oh, I think it does!" he interjected. His eyes were open now, revealing irises as lavender as his hair, and he gazed at Amelia intently. "Just how far are you willing to go for him, Amelia?"

She flashed an angry look at Xellos, "I already said I'd perform the ritual for his sake, what more do you want from me?"

Xellos stood up walking over to Amelia. Despite her recent growth spurt, he was still taller than her, and the closer he got the more his height difference was evident. He seemed awfully intimidating somehow, and Amelia took an involuntary step back. She stopped only when she hit the altar behind her. She placed her hands on it to keep from falling backwards, and could only stare at the Mazoku till he stood only inches from her.

"As annoying as it is for me," Xellos said, his eyes piercing into her like needles as he spoke, "Zelgadis-san and his cure seem to be the only things forcing you to perform the ritual with me."

"It's not the only reason," there was desperation in her voice. "The people need this shield to protect…"

"We are only interested in the ritual," he interrupted. "And the Philosopher's stone is no longer here, meaning the people here don't need its protection as much as they think they do. So I ask you again, Amelia-san. How far are you willing to go for _his_ sake?"

Amelia turned away from him, not willing or able to look into his eyes. She'd never seen Xellos like this before, and it frightened her.

She let her thought trail to Zelgadis as she carefully considered her answer. She remembered all the times she'd thrown herself in front of him to protect him. He didn't even need the protection, really. His stone skin and chimera abilities gave him a better chance of surviving any blow an enemy threw at him. But that never seemed to stop her from jumping in front of him to cast a protective shield, or leap in the way of a mace that was meant for him. She never put much thought into it. She'd just do it and worry about the consequences afterwards.

But she wasn't the only one that was protective _._ She could still remember all too clearly the fight with Gaav, when he almost _died_ after jumping in front of Gaav's sword to protect her. He _would_ have died, too, had she not been there to cast a resurrection spell to save him. He almost died, all for her…

"I…" she started to answer, her eyes welling up with tears. But now he was with someone else, not her. He'd never be with her now. She had tried for years to get over him, but her feelings for him were just as strong as they had been when she had adventured with him. She owed him for saving her life during the fight with Gaav, and she knew that if ever the opportunity arose…

"I…I'd die for him," it was a barely audible whisper, as though she was saying it only to herself, and she knew she meant every word of it.

"Oh good!" his sudden change in tone made Amelia jump, and she looked back at Xellos, who was smiling sweetly at her. "I guess I have nothing to worry about then.

"Well, I'm off," he continued grabbing his staff from the bench and walking over to the stairs. "Are you coming? I do have to lock this place up, after all. Wouldn't want any unsavory townsfolk coming in here to steal the artifacts."

Amelia was still having trouble recovering from her thoughts, so she just stared at Xellos. He was back to his goofy self again, as if the frightening and intimidating Xellos she saw only moments before was never there. _'What just happened?'_

"Amelia-chan?" it was a questions, and he seemed genuinely concerned for her.

"I'm…I'm coming," was all she could manage as she tore herself away from the altar she'd been gripping a little too tightly and walked out of the altar room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 5: The Disenchanted Bracelet  
> More questions than answers are brought up regarding Nullin's shield, and we suffer our first casualty (if you count an inanimate object as a casualty anyway...)


	5. The Disenchanted Bracelet

The one bedroom cabin stood on the outskirts of Nullin, just out of sight of the market place as well as the hustle and bustle of city life. It was a plain oak-wood cabin, but it was warm and cozy, and for Zelgadis, it was home.

He entered through the solid oak door, the hinges creaking slightly as he peered around the room. The smell of the forest permeated this place, and he breathed deeply of its rich, wooden scent. The single room had one, large bed off in a corner, pulled away from the wall just enough for a person to get in on either side. There was a book shelf on the same wall, filled with books of every description, along with a simple wooden desk next to that. A table set with plain wooden chairs sat only a few feet from the brick fire place on the opposite wall.

Zelgadis carried three more books and a stack of papers in his arms, and he walked over to the desk, plopping them down with a loud thud. While Amelia spent time with the Mayor and Xellos, learning about the Magical Fusion ceremony, Zelgadis headed off to the library to pick up some information on the history of the same ritual.

Zelgadis pulled the stack of papers out first. The people of Nullin wanted to keep thorough records on events of they're town, and he'd caught Alisa, the head librarian, compiling a book describing current events. She'd been reluctant to let him look through the papers that would make up the book, but eventually relented with the promise that he would return them first thing in the morning. These were the papers he was most interested in; if he was to find out what Xellos was up to, they'd be here, in these writings.

_The Black Mage-sama of the Sixth Couple, a delightful_ (Zelgadis snorted at this,) _and handsome young man that calls himself Xellos (no last name) came to us six months prior to the fusion ceremony. How he knew we would soon be in need of a black mage for the ceremony, he would not say. But he was eager to volunteer his services, and after a brief test of his powers, the Mayor accepted him._

_Xellos says he comes from an island far out on the Demon Sea. I do not believe we have ever had a Black Mage-sama come from so far away, particularly one who articulates so well…_

Zelgadis skimmed through the text, looking for any useful information. Obviously, no mention was made of Xellos' true heritage. Not surprising considering no one in Nullin knew or would even believe he was a Mazoku. He was surprised to find that Xellos, for some reason, was _not_ pleased when news reached Nullin that Amelia would be the White Mage-sama. He did not say why.

The text went on and on, but there was nothing in there he didn't already know. Xellos had apparently shown up out of no-where, eager to perform the ceremony as Black Mage-sama. The White Mage-sama, the one who came before Amelia, showed up two months after him, only to grow ill and die a month after that. At this point, Alisa had recommended sending a message to Seyruun to gain a replacement and…

He stopped reading. Leaning back in his chair he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _Amelia_. He was doing all of this for her sake. He couldn't shake the feeling that Xellos meant her harm, and the thought angered him to no end. If it was within his power, he'd destroy that Mazoku and put him out of everyone's misery. But even as a chimera, Xellos was too strong to fight outright. He needed information if he had any hope of defeating the Mazoku priest.

He knew Xellos' kind too well, and he wasn't just referring to him as a demon. He was an enigmatic, shifty swindler; manipulating and cheating people to his own ends. Oh yes, Zelgadi knew his kind only too well, and he was determined to expose him before it was too late.

He set the papers aside and grabbed the book on the top of the pile. He reached out to open the book, but stopped.

No, the book was not what had stopped him, it was his _hand_. He gazed at it as though seeing it for the first time, turning it palm up, then palm down as he examined the flesh around it. He brought his other hand around to touch the soft, pliable surface and marveled at it. He'd had this normal body for over a year now, but he was still in awe of it. Few new how precious it was to have normal flesh; normal skin, hair, and a normal, human body. Unless a person lost it for years upon years, like he had, no one could appreciate it quite the way he could.

He brought his hand up, letting his fingers sift through the soft strands of his hair. A sad smile crossed his face as he combed. It felt great to be human, but he sometimes wondered if the price for it had been too high.

For one, he'd lost his freedom. Not to say he was a slave by any means, but in order to be human, he had to remain within Nullin at all times. No better prison could anyone come up with than to limit his cure to this place. He'd been a wanderer for so long, that it was difficult for him to adjust to a life restricted to the borders of this town. Nullin gave him a very wonderful, very precious gift, but if he ever thought about leaving, it would take it away just as quickly.

But that wasn't the only thing he'd lost…

Zelgadis stood up from his chair and wandered to the book shelf. He reached up to that one small book on the top shelf and pulled it off, setting it down on a lower shelf to get it out of the way. He then reached back and grabbed the prize, the object he'd placed there to deliberately get it out of his sight; a small pink and blue bracelet.

The bracelet itself was a simple, pink band of stretch cloth with a round, sapphire-like ball on the end. Amelia gave it to him three years ago, making him promise he would return it to her. He closed his eyes, grasping the ball in his hand and holding it against his chest. Perhaps he could still keep his promise to her, even if it wasn't the way he had dreamed of doing it.

It had been several months, almost a year, since he'd first put the bracelet up on that shelf. He did it soon after his relationship with Duuchesney had turned serious. He found the constant reminder of Amelia to be a painful distraction from his new life.

The bracelet had collected a thick layer of dust from being on the shelf for so long, and Zelgadis used the palm of his hands to wipe the dust from it. It didn't seem to help much; the old bracelet still looked dull and lifeless in the dim light of the cabin. He wandered over to the desk and, pulling a small cloth from one of its drawers, began polishing the blue bauble on the end. But even after cleaning, it still didn't look right, like there was a strange layer of film on it that he couldn't remove no matter how hard he…

No, there was no layer of film. That wasn't it at all. He stared in confusion, turning the bracelet over in his hands, not believing what his eyes were telling him. He thought the dust had just been covering it up, but the dust was gone now, and the problem was plain to see.

' _But how did this happen?'_

"Zel?"

A familiar voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up with a start. Duuchesney stared back at him, her hand still on the door knob as her eyes wandered to the bracelet in his hand and then back to him.

For a few minutes, Zelgadis had forgotten that he didn't live alone in this cabin. Otherwise, he would have had second thoughts about pulling the bracelet out.

"What are you doing with that?" she was not at all happy to see it.

"I…I was thinking of giving it back to Amelia," well it _was_ the truth, and the answer seemed to satisfy her to some extent.

With a shrug, Duuchesney closed the door behind her and stepped into the cabin, "Sounds like a good idea, since she's in town anyway."

She removed her jacket, hanging it up on the edge of the book shelf and wandered over to the bed. It annoyed him to see her put her jacket on the shelf when there was a perfectly good coat hanger only two feet away, but he didn't say anything. He had other things to think about.

He kept his eyes focused on the bracelet, "Duu-chan, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Has the shield been known to damage magic items before?"

Duuchesney let out a mock-filled laugh, gazing at Zelgadis in amusement, "No, of course not. The shield suppresses magic, it doesn't destroy it." She sat down on the bed and began removing her boots. "Aren't you the same guy who explained all this to _me_?"

"Be serious," he glared at her. "Has anyone in this town reported disenchanted items before?"

She stopped in the middle of pulling her second boot off and thought for a moment, "Well, rumor has it that a group of mages who came to town several years back accused the shield of damaging some of they're things. The Mayor said it was all a load of bull, though. They were just trying to get compensation for things that had nothing to do with us."

"Don't be too sure," Zelgadis said as he handed the bracelet over to her.

Duuchesney was startled for a bit, but she took the bracelet, turning it over in her hands, "And I'm looking for _what_ exactly?"

"Magical protection items like that one have magical runes in the middle of the jewel. It's a magical symbol that is the source of its power."

"Yea, I know that, what is your poi…" she stopped, and looked at the bracelet again. She just remembered that the bracelet had a six-pointed star at its center when she first saw it. Now it was gone; it was just a simple blue gem!

"You don't honestly think the shield did this?" she shot back at him.

"Maybe," he said more calmly, "Maybe prolonged exposure permanently disenchants magic items."

"No it doesn't," she retorted stubbornly. "The shield never has and never will destroy items like this!"

Zelgadis was getting annoyed, "Then how do you explain that?"

Duuchesney said nothing. She finished removing her boot and slid off the bed, collapsing to the floor. Zelgadis was rather confused by this, until he saw her reach underneath the bed to pull out a small, open wooden box. Inside he saw several, small items; _magical items_!

"Where did you get those?" he asked as he watched her. Who knew she'd been hiding a treasure trove underneath they're bed all this time.

"Sometimes I get lucky on my raids," she answered as she sat on the floor in front of the box and began sifting through it, searching for something. "Most of the stuff I sell, but I like to keep a few things in case they come in handy or for sentimentality. Like…ah, here it is…like this for instance!"

From the bottom of the pile she pulled out a long, chain necklace with a red amulet attached to it. She lifted it into the air to hand it to Zelgadis. He hesitated a moment before taking it from her and looking at it.

The amulet was fairly plain. Even a novice mage could create one. The person who created the amulet hadn't even bothered to give it a decent cut. The item, however, was clearly magical. The pentagram in the center of its gem made that apparent.

"How long have you had this?" he asked as he handed it back.

"Ten years," she responded, putting it back in the box. "I got that on my very first raid when I first joined this gang."

"And it's been inside Nullin the whole time?"

"Rarely left this box," she said, as she slid it back under the bed. "I don't know what happened to you're bracelet there, but this shield doesn't destroy magic items. Never has and never will."

"Alright, you've proved your point," he sighed, leaning back against the bed. He brought the bracelet up, furrowing his brow as he looked at it. "Then just what could have happened to it? It takes extremely powerful magic to disenchant an item like this."

"Maybe it was just a piece of crap to begin with," she said as she stood up from the floor.

Zelgadis took a moment to glare at her, before shaking his head in frustration. He lay back against the bed, bringing the bracelet up to look at it again. It didn't even seem like her bracelet anymore, just some cheap trinket you could buy at any general store. He was going to be returning this to Amelia tonight, but he didn't like the idea of returning it damaged. Even though she'd very likely forgive him, she was just that way, it still didn't sit well with him.

He could feel more than see Duuchesney lay down on the bed next to him, but it still didn't prepare him for the sudden shock of having the bracelet ripped from his hands and tossed aside.

"Hey," he protested feebly, his hands reaching out for it It had landed on the desk, well out of his reach. Instead he turned to glare at the culprit, the one laying on her side, her head propped up on one elbow as she glared back.

"Would you forget about that bracelet for just one second," she fumed. "God, you've been moody every since that princess of yours came to town, Zel. This isn't like you. What gives?"

Zel almost laughed at that, "Not like me? I thought I was always moody!"

"Hardly," she shot back. "Ever since I met you, you've been as giddy as a school boy and twice as annoying. You only get moody when you think I'm not looking."

He opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. In a way, she was right. She'd first met him when he was still under the euphoria of his new found humanity. It was the kind of joy that you just couldn't keep to yourself, you just had to share it with someone or you would explode from within. Duuchesney was the first person he befriended here, and she was more than happy to share it with him.

He could feel his cheeks grow hot as he thought back to those early days with her. Ho boy had she ever been happy to share…

"Well, I guess," he finally answered, staring up at the ceiling to avoid her gaze, "Amelia's presence here has brought back some old memories. A lot of them."

"Good or bad?"

"Both," he didn't hesitate with that answer. "She's a powerful reminder of what my life was like before I came to Nullin, of everything that I was." ' _And everything I'd lost…'_ "I was always grumpy before I came here, so I suppose you can understand why I'd be moody."

He was still staring at the ceiling, so he felt more than saw Duuchesney move. Before he knew it, she was leaning on his chest, staring straight down at him her face only inches from his. He looked back at her and she smirked. "It's good to know you're happy here, Zel," her voice was uncharacteristically soft and comforting. "I was beginning to think you were suffering from regret or something."

He was, but he didn't want her to know that. He took a deep breath, watching as she gently rose and fell with the movement of his chest. He reached his hand up to stroke her long, blonde hair, sifting it through his fingers and bringing it up to his nose. She carried with her an odd, fragrant mixture of leather, roses, and steel. It was both masculine and feminine at the same time, nothing like the purely feminine smell Amelia had carried with her fresh from Seyruun.

"Have you ever thought about letting your hair go back to its old color," he said as he continued to stroke her hair. He couldn't help but notice the characteristic smell of the bleaching chemicals she used on it.

"I like being blonde," she replied with a smile. "The people in this town don't recognize me so readily, and _I_ think I look good this way."

"I liked you better before," he continued. "I prefer when people look natural, you get a false impression of who they really are when they change they're appearance like this."

She raised an eyebrow and scowled, "Is that really the reason?"

He stopped mid-stroke and looked at her. Something in the tone of her voice did not bode well, and he stared at her in bewilderment, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head, lifting herself off of him and sitting up on the bed. "Nevermind," she shot back a little too harshly. "If you're going to return the bracelet to the Princess, you might as well do it now. I hear she's going to be busy all evening."

* * *

Amelia was all too relieved to leave the shrine and remove herself from the surprisingly overbearing Xellos. It was just past noon, and she didn't have any planned meetings till later this evening.

Amelia decided to take the time to explore the town. She'd been feeling horribly down lately, so she also began humming a happy tune as she passed through the streets to cheer herself up.

Only a few of the people in town actually knew who she was, but word was spreading fast. She saw a few people look at her, then turn to their friends and began talking, joy evident in their faces. Being one of the mages who would be performing Magical Fusion gave her prestige, and a blush came to Amelia's face as she realized everyone was staring at her.

A young boy suddenly appeared in front of her, forcing her to stop abruptly in her tracks. She smiled, however, when she saw the blushing boy was holding a small, white flower in front of him.

"This is for you, White Mage-sama," he said, holding it in a shaky hand.

Amelia smiled kneeling down to his height, taking the flower with a warm, proud smile, "Thank you very much, little boy."

The boy's grin became impossibly big and he ran back into the arms his very proud mother. She looked on for a moment, before taking the flower and putting it in her hair, just behind her ear. She couldn't tell what it looked like, but imagined it must have contrasted greatly with her black hair.

She continued to walk down the streets, her mood greatly improved now. The people here admired her and loved her for what she was doing for them. Despite what Xellos had told her, the shield still protected these people from monsters and demons. She really was doing a great service for them, a service in the name of Justice, and nothing could make her happier than that.

Well one thing could. The fact the Zelgadis was human again made her happier than anything in the world. She stopped suddenly, _'I can't believe it! I'm doing it again!'_ She tried not to let her thoughts wander to him, but they never seemed to cooperate the way they were supposed to. _'I need to find something to do to get my mind off of him!'_

"Hey, Amelia!" she heard a familiar voice behind her and turned. There was Zelgadis, waving to her and running up to meet her. She wasn't sure whether to smile or cringe at the sight of him. She wanted to try and forget about him, and this was hardly what she had it mind!

He quickly caught up to her, stopping just short and giving her a smile as a greeting.

No, she couldn't help but be happy to see him, particularly when he was coming to see _her_ , "What is it, Zelgadis-san?"

He took a deep breath, and then reaching into his pocket, pulled out a familiar pink bracelet. Amelia's eyes lit up as she saw it, "My bracelet, I didn't think you still had it!"

"Amelia," he began, his voice suddenly downcast. "I want to apologize for ruining your bracelet. I should have taken better care of it."

"Huh?" she looked at it again, "What do you mean?" She noticed the strap had been stretched a bit too much, to the point where she wouldn't be able to wear it around her wrist anymore. Is that what he was talking about?

Then she saw it, or the lack thereof, "What? But how?" She raised up her left wrist where she still wore the other bracelet. It was identical to the one she gave Zelgadis, except the band was made of metal and clipped onto her wrist instead of stretching. And the magic was still intact on this one.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "It's yours, so I figured you could shed some light on the subject."

"Maybe the anti-magic field…"

"I thought about that," he interrupted. "But Duuchesney has magic items that she's had in the shield for over ten years, and they are unaffected. I was wondering if perhaps your bracelet had a fault, or was a weaker magic item, perhaps."

She shook her head, "I made this bracelet myself," she closed her fist around it tightly, bringing it to her chest. "I'm certain I didn't make a mistake."

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm just trying to find out what happened to it."

"Don't worry about it, Zelgadis-san," she said, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "It's not you're fault, and I can just re-enchant it when I get back home."

He nodded his head, "Yea," he agreed, "but I think it might be a good idea for you to take any magic items you may have and store them outside the border. I don't know if the shield is the culprit or not, but I'd hate to see any other valuable magic-items become ruined like this one."

Amelia creased her brow, then nodded, "Do you know of any place I could put them?"

That stopped him for a moment, "Well, um, there isn't another town for over 100 miles, and there are few places out there for storing, but…" He was hesitant, and Amelia just looked at him anxiously.

"But?" she pressed.

He thought for a moment, then smiled, and looked to Amelia again, "Yea, I know of a place. Its a little ways outside of the border, do you have time right now?"

She almost said yes, but she knew she'd dilly-dallied too long as it was, "No, I'm expected at the constables house for lunch in a few minutes. Maybe we can do it tomorrow?"

"Alright, why don't we meet here tomorrow morning and I'll take you there."

Her eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly as she gave a curt nod. Nothing sounded better to her than a chance to spend more time with him.

* * *

Word had spread throughout town regarding the new White Mage-sama. She'd been invited to a few parties and dinners from the higher ranking members of the community, from the constable, to town counsel members, even the head librarian, Alisa, invited her over for some tea and cakes.

Not that it bothered her, really. She was accustomed to an almost celebrity status, being the Princess of one of the most powerful nations within the old Mazoku border. In fact, it felt quite good being in Nullin, since she was being recognized for an actual service to the people here, rather than just circumstances of her birth. Here, she was a true, Justice-loving hero, ready to use her skills and her magic to save this town, and she loved it!

Xellos was invited to all of these meetings as well, since the two of them now made up what the townsfolk called the "Sixth Couple." That was all well and good, but Amelia could not figure out why Xellos always seemed to show up fashionably late. She couldn't help but wonder just what he was always doing after each meeting. Even when she would end up going straight from one meeting to another, he'd disappear then reappear at the party a half-hour to an hour late. He would then sit uncomfortably close to Amelia and proceed to charm their hosts to no end.

It was late in the evening now and the librarian proved to be a considerate, but very boring host. She was a tall, lanky woman, with small glasses perched on her nose. She spoke of Nullin's extensive history in a deep, monotone voice that had Amelia drinking her tea just to keep from yawning.

"The Second Couple to perform the magical fusion ritual," the librarian went on in her monotone drawl. "Were a couple of sisters; blood related white and black mages. They had moved to Nullin years before performing the ritual, living happily in this town before volunteering their services. Very unusual to have two mages living in this town, yet they seemed to enjoy their life here…"

The conversation wasn't getting any more exciting, so she decided to turn her attention to Xellos, who seemed to be listening intently, as though unaware of just how uninteresting the librarian was.

She marveled as she watched the Mazoku that she'd known for several years now, listening intently to the head librarian like any human would. She'd fought several members of the demonic Race of Evil since adventuring with Lina, such as Saygram, Kanzel, Mazenda; and they were all the same. They fed off of negative human emotions, and would attack and torment her group for extended periods of time in order to bring such feelings to their peak. Kanzel and Mazenda showed they could take human form at will, but their natural forms were very alien and monstrous. They were completely evil, through and through, and as an alley of Justice she had no second thoughts about fighting and destroying them.

But Xellos made things complicated for her justice loving heart by not acting like an evil Mazoku at all! He was, in fact, very helpful, if very annoying, when Amelia traveled with Lina and the others. The most fear he ever brought to the party was from telling ghost stories, and the most pain he ever brought was from humiliating them, something he did quite a bit.

And to top it off, although she assumed his natural form was different, she'd never seen him in anything but his very human and very friendly form. If he hadn't outright confessed his race to all of them, she would never have thought he was a horrible Mazoku.

The only time he'd ever acted like a real Mazoku, that she knew of anyway, was while trying to get the last Dark Star weapon. But even then, he eventually gave the weapon to Lina so they could defeat Dark Star. Once again, he had joined up with them to help them save the world, even though it was the main goal of all Mazoku to destroy it. He was certainly evil, he never denied it, but he just plain didn't _act_ the way she was taught evil people were suppose to act!

Lina seemed to consider him a friend, which made him her friend as well…right? She stole another glance at Xellos as he continued to listen to Alisa. Could she really count herself, the princess of the White Magical Capital and a shrine-maiden the friend of an evil Mazoku? It just didn't seem right, and yet…

He must have sensed her looking at him, for he opened his eyes a crack to gaze back at her, and winked. She blushed and turned away, but berated herself afterwards. _'Ugh, he's doing it again! How does he always know just how and when to make things awkward?'_

She continued to face the other direction, trying to avoid his gaze, _'Over a thousand years of experience, I bet.'_

"And that brings us up to the Fifth Couple," the librarian continued, in the same monotonous voice that encouraged Amelia to drink her tea. "Strangely enough, all the information we have on them was lost and…"

"Oh goodness!" Xellos suddenly blurted out. "Do look at the time. I'm afraid we're going to have to cut things short, Alisa-san."

"Oh so soon," she asked. "Such a shame, but I suppose it is getting awfully late. I thank you very much for spending time with me, Black Mage-sama and White Mage-sama. It's a thrill to know that I had a chance to meet the Sixth Couple in person. You two will be marked in our history for generations to come, you know…"

"Oh, no, thank YOU," Xellos bowed to her as he stood up, "for your fine hospitality and delicious tea. Come, Amelia-san, I will be sure to escort you home like a good gentlemen."

Amelia sat there, confused by Xellos' abrupt actions, "Gentlemen? You?"

"Hurry up," he gently took her by the arm to stand her up. "You really do need your beauty sleep. We have to do this again tomorrow, you know."

She was still baffled, but she complied, letting Xellos stand her up, then walked out of the librarian's small home and onto the street.

True to his word, Xellos walked with her, heading for her place like a good gentlemen. Needless to say this was very unnerving. "You've never offered to escort me before, Xellos-san," she glared at him. "What are you up to this time?"

"Come now, Amelia-chan, you're getting to be as untrusting as Zelgadis-san," he said smiling at her. "I merely wanted to speak to you some more, is that so wrong?"

"Well, I suppose not," she said, turning away from him in embarrassment. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"I noticed Zelgadis-san talking to you earlier today," he began, "something about a disenchanted bracelet. Care to fill me in?"

She scowled at Xellos, "You shouldn't be listening in on other people's conversations, Xellos-san. It's very rude."

"I beg your pardon," he did a half-bow as they continued to walk. "But Beastmaster-sama has given me strict orders to report anything strange in this town. I figured what he was telling you might be something that would interest her."

"You expect me to help a Dark Lord?" she shot back.

"Oh, come now," he pleaded, putting his hand behind his head sheepishly. "What could it hurt?"

She stared at him for several moments, and then sighed in defeat. She couldn't think how it would hurt, and he had _helped_ them in the past. Maybe he could help now. She pulled the bracelet out of her pocket. "See for yourself," she said as she handed it to him. "This bracelet has been in Zelgadis-san's position for three years, and it has somehow become disenchanted."

Xellos took the bracelet, rolling it over in his hands and studying it, "Fascinating, so tell me, was this bracelet made in Seyruun?"

"Yes, I made it myself, back when I was first learning to enchant magic items," she answered. "I'll have to re-enchant it when I get home."

Xellos hummed to himself, "Yes, yes, this definitely makes sense," he mused, still turning the bracelet over in his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Just that this anti-magic shield might be damaging to specific magic-items," he responded, confirming her suspicions without asking. "Have you made plans to get your things out of town?"

"Yes, Zelgadis-san is going to go with me tomorrow to take my stuff somewhere."

Xellos popped one eye open as he looked at her, "Tomorrow? Are you sure you want to wait that long?"

She stopped in the middle of the road and turned to face him, "Why do you say that?"

"Well just look at your other bracelet…"

Amelia went white, and brought the bracelet in her left hand up to look at it. It was extremely subtle, but, sure enough, the star in its center was starting to fade, "Not this one too!"

"I know just the place to take your precious items. Shall we go to your house and pick them up so we can get them out of town."

She nodded without a second thought, "Yes, Xellos-san, please." They picked up the pace as they headed towards the Mayor's home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 6: Trust and Disbelief  
> Jealousy, uncovered secrets, and pointless violence, gotta love it!


	6. Trust and Disbelief

Amelia quickly gathered up her magic items, consisting mostly of protection amulets and healing supplies. She threw them into one of the draw-string bags she had for the trip and then, synching up the string, she ran outside where Xellos was still waiting for her.

"Can't you just teleport us out of here?" she asked as she caught up to him and they started fast-walking towards the border.

"Well, unfortunately the anti-magic field in this place affects my powers as well," he answered her. "What power I can use here goes to keeping this human appearance. If I try to use magic here, I'll revert to my true form."

"Oh. And I guess seeing you in you're true form would frighten everyone, wouldn't it?" although she'd never actually seen it…

"Oh, they'd probably just think the weather had turned bad," he said with a smile. "But don't you worry, Amelia-san, I can still protect you."

"Protect me?" she was suddenly nervous again. "Protect me from what?"

"Oh, them maybe…"

Amelia stopped dead in her tracks, and Xellos stopped just ahead of her. Right in front of them, just ahead of the shield's border, was a group of a dozen or so trolls, lead by a nasty looking minotaur.

Unlike your typical minotaur, this one had the black and white splotches of a dairy cow covering his half-naked body. He was extremely muscular, however, with spiked shoulder guards and a black-fur loin cloth and matching boots. He wielded a nasty looking, double-bladed axe.

"Monsters? Inside town? Xellos-san, what's going on?"

"Monsters like these are capable of entering Nullin's shield, "Xellos answered. "The trolls lose their healing abilities and the like, but they have no direct ties to the Astral Plane."

"Even without their healing powers," the minotaur spoke up in a deep, growling voice, "this many trolls are more than capable of taking on a sorceress who can't use her powers. Wouldn't you agree White Mage-sama?"

Amelia glared and he simply laughed. "That's right, we were informed the two Mage-Samas of Nullin would be coming this way, and that the white chick would be carrying a bunch of magic items. We came to relieve you of said items, so just hand them over, and I might let you go without a beating."

"Informed?" her eyes went wide, then narrowed and she looked at Xellos. "You did it again didn't you?"

He chuckled, putting his hand behind his head again, "Oh, I figured you'd be just as bored as I've been inside Nullin, so I decided to spice things up a bit for us."

"Xellos-san," Amelia practically screamed at him. "You don't seriously expect me to take on a dozen trolls and a minotaur by myself without my magic do you!" If she could use her magic, it would be a piece of cake for Amelia. With only her fists, however…

"Who said you taking them on by yourself," Xellos answered, bringing his staff up to bear. "Don't forget, I've been rather bored myself."

Now it was the minotaur's turn to be confused, "Wait a second, black mage, I thought you _wanted_ us to attack the white mage here! What are you challenging us for?"

"I never said I wanted you to do anything to her," Xellos answered. "I simply told you she'd be here. You decided the rest on your own." His eyes opened a crack, glaring menacingly at the monsters before him. "If you assumed I would help you or wouldn't interfere, you are very foolish, indeed, Minotaur-san."

With Xellos backing her up, Amelia regained her confidence and pointed at the minotaur dramatically, "That's right! We may not have our magic, but with Justice on our side," a quick look from Xellos and Amelia sweat-dropped, "um…MY side, we will thrust you into oblivion with the power of our…MY righteous fury!" _'Oh, it's so hard to give a speech with a Mazoku…'_

The minotaur growled, but gripped his axe tightly, "It doesn't matter. Me and my trolls can still take you both on without trouble."

The minotaur snapped his fingers, and with a serious of grunts and growls, the trolls surrounded the pair. Amelia couldn't help but note that there were, in fact, more than just a dozen trolls. More like twenty or thirty of them at least! "So um, Xellos-san," Amelia said as she took a fighting stance. "Just how good are you with that staff of yours?"

The staff he carried was a magical staff, made of dark wood with a large, red gem clutched between a split in the branch. It was obviously a mage's staff, but didn't look suitable for hand-to-hand combat. Xellos smirked speaking in a soft whisper so only she could hear him, "I may not have my powers, Amelia-chan, but I am still a Mazoku. I know fighting techniques that haven't been seen by man-kind for over a thousand years."

"Listen up, Princess," The minotaur spoke up. "Just hand over the items, and I will let you go. If you don't, well we may just take more than your precious magic items." He sneered, giving Amelia a once over from head to toe

Amelia gave a terrified yelp, moving instinctively closer to Xellos, "This is all your fault, you know," she spoke to the Mazoku, practically clinging to his back. "I hope you know what your doing!"

"If you'd prefer to sit this one out and let me fight them," Xellos responded. "I'll be happy to oblige you. I did this for my benefit, after all."

"Everything you do is for _your_ benefit, Xellos-san," she shot back.

"True."

"Your times up, Princess," The minotaur said, approaching menacingly. "What's it going to be?"

Amelia and Xellos remained silent and braced themselves. It was all the answer the trolls needed, "Get 'em!"

They charged in, and Amelia prepared for battle. She only noticed how close she was to Xellos when he leaped away from her, getting a startled yelp from the princess as he charged at the trolls.

The trolls didn't even know what hit them. Xellos came flying through with inhuman speed, bringing his staff in front of him. No one saw him swing it around and suddenly smack the first troll under the chin with the end of his staff. The heavier, upper end of staff then swung around to strike a second monster across the temple, knocking him out instantly. The first two had yet to even hit the ground, before he swung the staff upwards, drawing an arch as he brought it down on top of the third troll.

Amelia didn't realize she was staring at Xellos, mouth agape, until she heard a horrible growl from behind. Reacting by instinct, she spun around with her right fist, punching the troll square in the jaw and sending it falling backwards. She spotted another one, trying to swing his club at her, but she easily dodged it, deftly kicking its feet to make sure he landed face first on the ground. She spun around to accept the next attacker, but there were none. The majority of the trolls had to get through the Mazoku Priest to get to her, and so far none of the others had.

One by one, trolls fell, while the Xellos continued to hold his own. He spun his staff around him in a wide arch, forcing several trolls to step back or be struck with it. He then spun his body along with it, grabbing the staff by its very tip, and striking one monster square in the stomach. Without missing a beat, he sent the staff rotating in the opposite direction, and hit yet another troll in the back of the head, just as he was getting up from one of Xellos' previous attacks. He then threw his staff into the air, taking a moment to back hand an attacking troll, before catching his staff and taking a fighting stance.

Amelia sweat dropped as she watched. Not only was Xellos kicking butt, he was showing off as well. His moves were highly exaggerated, and although Amelia normally loved that sort of thing, from Xellos it just seemed ridiculous.

More trolls came pouring in; most of them heading for Xellos, but a few came from behind to get to Amelia. Three clubs came swinging down on the Mazoku, but he easily blocked them with his staff, lunging forward so they all fell flat on their butts, he then spun his staff around, knocking them all upside the heads and they fell to the ground in a heap. Amelia leaped into the air, and came spinning down on one troll, her foot striking his face, but before he hit the ground, she used her moment to leap into the air, and send a circle kick into the next troll. She landed gracefully on the ground, ready to take on anymore that got through to her. She couldn't help but congratulate herself. It wasn't often she could pull off a move like that without falling flat on her face.

Amelia could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her breathing was labored. _'I'm already tired,'_ she thought in a panic. She'd only been fighting for a short time, and she was fatigued. _'I guess it's been awhile since I fought this much.'_

Her exhaustion did not go unnoticed by Xellos. He had knocked all of the trolls down that had attacked him, and the remaining ones were holding back in fear.

The minotaur was sweating profusely, shocked at the number of trolls that had been knocked down single-handedly by the Black Mage-sama, "Where…where the hell did you learn to fight like that! I thought mages spent so much time studying magic they couldn't fight without it!"

Amelia beamed, "Hardly! True ally's of Justice," _'and Xellos,'_ she thought to herself, "learn to fight evil under any circumstance. You were foolish to have underestimated us!"

"Indeed," Xellos agreed, smirking at the minotaur. "You're minions have been quite entertaining, Minotaur-san, but wouldn't you like to try me yourself? I'm just getting warmed up."

The minotaur leader growled, but he knew when he was beat, "Retreat!" he screamed to the remaining trolls. "Get out of the shield!"

The trolls still capable of running did so, running towards the border as fast as they could. A few of them that stood behind the Princess and the Mazoku, opted to run for the trees surrounding them instead.

Xellos had a truly devious idea. "Amelia-chan!" he yelled to the Princess, and she looked up, still panting from her earlier exertion. Xellos grinned wickedly, "Want out of this field?"

He was facing her now, his back to the border, and he bent over, clasping his hands in front of him, as though ready to give her a boost. She stared for only a moment, before she realized his plan with a start, and she grinned. "You bet!"

She gathered up her remaining strength and ran towards him, placing one foot in Xellos' outstretched hand and allowing him to launch her into the air. She flipped once, feeling herself bypass the anti-magic field and landed in a crouched position just in front of the minotaur and his retreating trolls.

They stopped, horrified at seeing the Princess suddenly appear in front of them, and she was grinning smugly. Here, outside the field, she could use her magic!

" _Dill Brand_!" she shouted, her hand still touching the ground. The earth shook and before the trolls could figure out what was going on, the ground surrounding them exploded, sending them as well as tons of rock and debris scattering everywhere. They all landed with a thud, completely unconscious from the force of the blow.

The minotaur leader could only stare in horror as Amelia brought her hands before her to cast yet another spell, just for him. " _Wind, crimson flame. Come to my hand and grant me the power of thunder!_ " He quickly realized what she was about to do, and freaked, turning to run away, but it was already too late. " _Digger Bolt!_ "

Letting the thoroughly fried minotaur fall to the ground in a twitching and blackened heap, Amelia stood up, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a huff. Thanks to her spell casting, the smell of dust, debris, and burnt flesh now mixed in with the smell of the forest. She didn't care though; the smell was remarkably refreshing and liberating in fact. It felt good to be outside the shield. She was energized; the feeling of fatigue from before was completely gone now.

The cloud of dust from the _Dill Brand_ still obscured her vision of what was in front of her, but it wasn't long before the familiar shadow of Xellos came trudging through it. His image emerged from the dust cloud and he stood in front of her, smiling. "Well done, Amelia-chan. It's not often I see you fight with such enthusiasm."

She grinned; bring her hand up in the familiar victory sign as she gazed at the Mazoku fondly. "That was fun, Xellos-san. Maybe I really should be thanking you for telling those trolls about us."

He waved his hand dismissively, and come up to her till he stood just in front of her. She put her hand down as he approached.

Xellos spoke first, "Well, I guess we'd better be going then, shouldn't we?"

She stared at him for a moment, "Shouldn't we go back to town and tell the constable about this?"

"Nah," Xellos dismissed her idea with another wave of his hand. "We don't have time. We need to get your stuff secured and get you back home, don't we?"

"But…"

"You've already taught these trolls and that nasty minotaur a lesson, Amelia-chan," he interrupted. "Come now, it's getting late and we need to make sure your stuff is safe."

She sighed in defeat. It was all too logical, even if she till felt the city guard should know about this monster attack. "Alright, let's go, Xellos-san."

Amelia had expected to walk to their destination, but instead Xellos advanced on her, staring at her intently and coming way to close to her for comfort. She took an instinctive step back as he approached her personal space, but his hand shot out and before she knew it he had her pressed against him in a tight, possessive grip.

Amelia instinctively brought her hands up to push him away, staring up at Xellos in a panic, "What…Xellos-san, what are you…"

"Relax, Amelia-chan," he said calmly. In that moment her stomach lurched as this odd feeling of motion took over. Her vision blurred, and before she could figure out what was going on…"Okay, we're here."

Xellos released her, causing her to stumble backwards clumsily before she could gaze about curiously. They were still in the forest, but the trees here looked different. There was a cliff side just in front of them, and the road and the border to Nullin were no where to be found. Xellos had teleported them to a new location.

"Oh," she said, a blush coming to her face. He'd used his Mazoku powers to travel the Astral Plane and bring them to their destination. And here she was afraid he was…

Xellos merely smirked, walking ahead of her to the side of the cliff and pushing aside a group of bushes. When he was finished, he revealed a small cave in its side, she watched him stoop down and crawl inside, and after a short hesitation she followed him.

The cave smelled fresh and dry, not damp and moldy like most places. It was very dark inside, but a quick _Lighting_ spell and the interior came into view. What met her eyes was no ordinary cave; it was an inhabited cave! There was no one in it but Xellos and herself, but it was clear someone lived here.

It was a single "room," clean and spacious, with a make-shift cot set up to the side, and thick blankets neatly made over it. She saw a box in an opposite corner, with a lantern, sword, shovel, crude fishing pole, and guitar standing beside it. In a separate corner she saw a chair with various papers, books, and writing tools next to it. Whoever lived here was still here, and was taking very good care of it.

"Is this your place, Xellos-san," she asked as she looked around. Is this where the Mazoku hid whenever he was late to a meeting?

"Oh no, this place doesn't belong to me," he answered. "I have no need for a place like this. This is Zelgadis-san's place."

"Zelgadis-san!" she looked around in shock. "Oh, we can't be here! It's rude to come to a persons home uninvited."

"Oh he won't mind," Xellos said. "I'm sure he wouldn't want your things damaged anymore than you do. You know this is the perfect place to keep them."

"Not without his consent!" she insisted, looking around nervously. This was obviously Zelgadis' private place, and she felt like she'd violated his trust somehow.

"You can get his consent in the morning when you see him," Xellos interrupted. "This was an emergency, after all, right?"

"Well, I…I guess so," she had her head down, deciding that looking around only made things worse. "I just hope he won't be mad."

She pulled off her pack, checking inside to make sure everything was as it should be, then closed the pack and pushed it underneath the cot, hoping Zelgadis wouldn't notice anything amiss.

"Don't forget the bracelet too, Amelia-chan," Xellos reminded her.

"Oh, right," she said sheepishly. She turned to the bracelet on her wrist, relieved to find that the star on it seemed a little darker than it had been just a moment before. The magic was restoring itself, to her relief, without any effort on her part. She removed the bracelet and set it in the pack with the rest of her items, before returning them to her place under the bed.

"There, that should do it, Xellos-san," she said as she stood up from the bed. "I guess we can head back now."

"Amelia-chan," Xellos' took on an unusually serious tone, and Amelia stopped. She looked at him, and found he was looking back at her with those creepy, lavender eyes of his. "I've been thinking about it, and I really think you should stay here for the night."

"Huh? Why?" she looked at Xellos nervously. "I shouldn't even be here! Zelgadis-san would be angry to know I was here without his permission!"

"I just think it's safer for you if you sleep outside the city for the night," he continued with that serious tone.

She stared at Xellos for several moments. It didn't make sense. How could sleeping _outside_ the city be safer? "You know something, don't you, Xellos-san," she took a step towards him, her curiosity peaked. "That's the real reason you brought me out here. You planned for me to stay, didn't you?"

Xellos finally grinned, bringing his finger up to his mouth, "That is a secret, Amelia-chan."

She sighed in defeat, gazing at the cot. Back in the city she had a beautiful, four-poster bed that looked so comfortable it made you sleepy just looking at it; and here she was being told to spend the night on a cot. Not that the bed looked uncomfortable by any means, but she knew the Mayor would worry if she didn't return. She had been attacked by both bandits and trolls along the border, after all.

She sat down on the cot, finding it gave only a little under her weight. The mattress itself was firm, although the blankets were soft. _'Why did Zelgadis-san have a place like this anyway?'_ she thought to herself, as she stroked the pillow without thinking. _'Doesn't he have a bed inside the border with Duu…'_ She quickly decided not to let her thoughts wander there.

She blushed as a very familiar smell came wafting up from the bed, the smell of rocky mountain trails in mid-afternoon. It was _his_ smell. _'This really is where Zelgadis-san sleeps, isn't it?'_ and he'd even slept here recently. But he didn't know she was here, and it was very likely he'd come back again. "Xellos-san," she turned back to her companion. "What if Zelgadis-san caught me here? I don't want him to think I'm prying into his personal…"

He was gone!

"Xellos-san? Xellos-san, where are you?"

There was no answer; he'd vanished into thin air. Of course, he always vanished into thin air, considering he could travel back and forth from the Astral Plane at will. Still, Amelia couldn't help but stand up and look around to see where he'd gone, including stepping outside the cave. It was dark outside now, and even with her light spell, she couldn't see anything. The Mazoku had left her there!

It also occurred to her at this moment that she had no idea how to get back to town. He'd teleported her here, so she had no basis for were to go. "I suppose I could _Levitate_ up and see where to go," she thought out-loud as she looked up. It was dark now, however, with no moon, and she knew even her light spell wouldn't let her see anything from above. All it would do is serve as a beacon to any monsters who wanted to find her.

She shuttered at the thought and retreated back into the cave. It was strangely warm inside, compared to the now chilled night air. She let her breath out as she sat down on the cot again. Xellos had been serious about having her stay here; to the point of abandoning her to this place and making sure she couldn't leave.

"Xellos-san, this isn't funny," she whispered into the darkness, the thought of being alone in a strange cave making her shiver. "I need to go back to town; the people there are going to be worried. Xellos-san?" She scowled, looking about the cave and raising her voice. "Xellos-san, I know you can hear me! You're always nearby, listening in on us! Answer me!"

Still there was no answer. He was gone, and she was stuck here whether she liked it or not. She stood up, pulling back the blankets on the cot so she could climb into it. As expected, the mattress was firm, giving only slightly under her weight, but it was still more comfortable than the cold, hard ground in the cave or outside. She laid her head on the pillow and pulled the blankets around her, letting her thoughts wander as she tried to sleep.

She'd never known Xellos to act the way he had just now. He rarely paid attention to her at all on their journeys, unless she started singing her "Life is Wonderful" ditty, which was sure to make him cringe in horror.

But he showed concern; concern for her being inside the city. But why? Did it have something to do with the disenchanted magical items? Was Xellos worried that it might affect her too?

" _Maybe that is why I felt so fatigued_ ," she thought. But that was not likely. She knew it was really Zelgadis and his new found life, without her, that was upsetting her. After all, she felt the same way at the Temple of Marriage when he was paired up with Lina instead of her.

_'But the Temple of Marriage had an anti-magic field too!'_ The realization made her eyes go wide. It wasn't nearly as powerful as this one, since it had no effect on Zelgadis' chimera-form, and Xellos was still able to use his Mazoku powers. But even so, maybe it really _was_ anti-magic that made her feel so miserable.

No, it didn't make sense. She'd felt fine entering the Temple of Marriage borders, and once she found out the whole coupling was a farce, she felt fine after that too (if extremely angry at Jillas for fooling all of them.) No, it wasn't the field that was making her sick; any fool could tell she was heartbroken. This was undoubtedly love sickness.

She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, and she turned on her side, facing the cave wall. Yes, she was definitely love-sick. Zelgadis hadn't been her first love, and he probably wouldn't be her last, but he had certainly lasted the longest. And now she was here, in _his_ place, the very feel of him permeating the walls, mocking her affections for him. Maybe this is why Xellos had brought her here, so he could feed off her despair and sorrow like all Mazoku did. She clenched her fist around the blanket, anger filling her at the thought of Xellos sitting just out of sight and enjoying her pain. She stopped abruptly, however. It did no good to be angry about it; he fed off of that too.

No, the best thing to do now was fall asleep. She willed her light spell to dissipate, putting the whole cave in darkness, and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she fell fast asleep.

* * *

Duuchesney paced her room in agitation. She had been more than nice enough to let Zelgadis spend some time with the princess, hadn't she? They were old friends after all, and he had assured her there was nothing between them. And yet, she hadn't seen him at all since he'd left this morning!

She was angry, but she knew that anger came from fear! She was terrified that that horrible princess would take away the best thing that had happened to her since she'd first taken over this small gang of hoodlums almost eight years ago. Frightened that Zelgadis would leave her and go running back to Amelia.

She hugged herself, digging her fingers into her arms till she felt the pain from her fingers. _'That stupid bitch!'_ she cursed. _'How dare she come here, and why_ now _of all times!'_

She sighed, calming herself down and rubbing the pain out of her arms. _'Get a grip!'_ Duuchesney thought to herself, sitting herself down on her bed. _'It's not like he's going to go running off with the princess and leave you behind. That's not his style.'_

She lay back against her pillow, putting her hands behind her head. It was funny that she felt this way, considering Zelgadis was originally just a means to an end for her. He seemed to love it here in Nullin, but he was a foreigner and hadn't been forced to live here for the majority of his life.

She hated Nullin, hated the fact that it was small, hated the fact that you couldn't use magic, and especially hated the fact that this place had taken her parents from her! She wanted out, and she'd worked for over a decade to make enough money to escape.

After she'd made enough money, however, she was too afraid to leave. Nullin was a million miles from no where, and she was afraid of leaving it for fear of what was out there. She'd only heard stories, and most of those stories were of monsters, magic, and things she didn't fully understand. How long could she possibly survive out there without a guide?

Then Zelgadis came, and everything changed. Finally, here was someone from the outside, someone who could take her out of this god forsaken town and off to adventures elsewhere. Someone who could teach her the magic she'd been craving to learn since she was a kid. She quickly befriended him and tried to convince him to run away with her. As an outsider _and_ a mage, he was perfect for making her dreams of escape come true. Once she gained his trust, it was only a matter of time before she could explore the world.

At least, that's what she had thought. He wouldn't _go_! The bastard refused to leave Nullin, he wouldn't even go near the damn border! She had tried everything to get him to go, short of torturing him (which she had considered), but he wouldn't budge. Every time she tried to get him to go, he'd either change the subject or flat out disappear on her. She'd yelled and screamed at him, but he'd never relent, and he'd never give her a reason why. He just claimed he didn't want to leave. It was infuriating!

So she had tried a different approach; if friendship wasn't enough to convince him to take her, then she had to become something _more_. She started flirting with him, a skill she had mastered over several years and several men. She knew he'd found her attractive, most of the men did. It was, after all, her charm that got her the position as head of the bandit gang in the first place, after the original leader had to step down due to a horrible "accident."

Of course, Zelgadis hadn't been her easiest conquest, not by a long shot. He always blushed whenever she turned up the heat and would try to come up with some excuse to escape. He acted as if no girl had ever come on to him like that before, something she found hard to believe from a handsome man like him. Oh, but she hadn't become leader by giving up so easily, and slowly, bit by bit and little by little, she wore down his defenses until he finally succumbed to her. It took only one night in her bed, and he was completely hers.

And yet, still he refused to cross the border. By this time she had come to realize that his reasons were more than just stubbornness. Whenever she suggested it, he'd stiffen and turn away from her. He'd mumble something about not wanting to go, and would quickly change the subject. It didn't take long for her to realize his basic reason; he was _afraid_! But why? He'd come from the outside, for crying out loud! Why was he afraid of going back there? She may have been his lover, but he didn't seem to trust her enough to tell her that.

Her patience had finally started wearing thin when she found out the Magical Fusion ritual would be taking place soon. She didn't want to be here when they renewed that stupid shield, and she pushed Zelgadis to tell her why he wouldn't leave with her. To her surprise, his stubbornness had returned, and they argued more times in just the last few weeks than they ever had since the day they'd met!

Then the news came that the Princess of Seyruun herself was coming to perform the ritual. As if things couldn't get any worse. She knew of the relationship Zelgadis had had with the young Princess, and now she was coming _here._ Despite her best effort, she'd fallen in love with Zelgadis, something she'd sworn never to do with anyone, and she'd be damned if she let that Princess ruin it all for her!

She lifted her hand up, lifting up a portion of her hair so she could stare at it. The pale blonde locks in her hands were not her original color. She'd changed it after one of her conversations with Zelgadis when he casually mentioned that her hair was the same color as Amelia's. Chances are he didn't notice, but she bristled at the thought of having anything in common with the Princess. It didn't matter that their hair wasn't _exactly_ the same color. Amelia's hair highlighted as a dark purple in the bright lights of the bath-house, while Duuchesney's hair had always had a dark brown contrast to it. But black was black, and Duuchesney almost immediately went straight for the dyes when Zelgadis made mention of the comparison. The bandit-woman couldn't help but wonder if he ever noticed the connection between his comments and her change.

She doubted it. Zelgadis was as learned and as bright as they come, but when it came to issues of the heart, he was dumb as a rock.

Duuchesney lay down on the bed, turning her head to stare at the empty pillow next to her as she waited. It was late in the evening and Zelgadis still hadn't returned. She narrowed her eyes, _'What the hell has he been doing all this time?'_

She clawed her pillow, cursing his name under her breath. She couldn't sleep at all, and she knew she wouldn't until he came back. He'd run off earlier to go see _her_. Had he spent all day and most of the night with…

_'What am I_ doing? _'_ she thought to herself. _'Since when was I the jealous type?'_ She'd never experienced these feelings herself before. Jealousy was always an emotion other women experienced. Hell, she'd even been the cause, but she'd never cared about any of her bed partners enough to be jealous of them, no matter how many other women they might be laying with.

_'Okay, lighten up, Duu-chan,'_ she thought to herself. _'What could he possibly see in her anyway? She doesn't have anything that I don't have! Well besides a kingdom, wealth, prestige, powerful magic, huge breasts...'_

She heard the door open and immediately closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. She knew who it was, she could hear his breathing, could hear him pause, most likely making sure she was asleep, before closing the door. She could hear the rustle of clothing as he prepared for bed, then felt the quilt move as he crawled in next to her, laying down with his back to her. She grimaced; it wasn't a good sign when he turned _away_ from her.

She rolled over, throwing her arm around him and pulling herself closer, gently kissing and nuzzling the back of his neck. He stiffened under her grip, to her chagrin, and she scowled.

"Oh, come on Zel, loosen up, you've been gone all day! I've missed you," she purred, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Yes, and I'm tired," he sighed. "I just want to sleep."

She tightened her grip, the anger welling up inside her again, "Damn it, Zelgadis, stop ignoring me like this! If you're going to act like such an ass, why don't you go sleep elsewhere?" she snarled. "You should be grateful you get to share my bed at all. You know how many men would kill to be in your…where are you going?"

Zelgadis had slipped out of her grip and sat up in bed. He walked over to wear he'd left his clothes lying on the floor and began to slip them on. "If you don't want me sleeping here," he said, anger evident in his voice, "then I'm more than happy to sleep elsewhere."

"Damn you!" she was sitting up in bed now. "You get back here, I didn't mean for you to leave!"

"Then don't tell me to!" he snapped back.

She glared at him, "Where have you been all this time? Were you with that Princess all day?"

"No," he responded. "She spent the evening at parties and gatherings, introducing herself as White Mage-sama to all the people. I've been at the library."

"All day?" she retorted. "The library closed over an hour ago. What were you doing after that, hmmm?"

"Going over my notes," he was getting very agitated with this barrage of questions. Didn't she realize he was exhausted!

"What the hell are you looking for that would keep you up that long?"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Obviously he _wasn't_ going to get any sleep tonight, so he might as well humor her. Besides, the information he'd gathered was incomplete, and she may be able to help him sort it out. He sat himself down on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped as he looked at the floor, "Duuchesney, have you ever heard the name Xellos before?"

"You mean the Black Mage-sama?" she raised an eyebrow. "Yea, I've heard of him. Why do you ask?"

He wasn't looking at her, but she could still see his eyes narrow, "He's a Mazoku, and I've been trying to do a bit of research to see if I can figure out why he's here."

"M…Mazoku? Zelgadis, are you sick or something?" Obviously she didn't believe him.

He turned to look at her, the intensity in his eyes making it clear he wasn't joking, "You can believe it or not, Duu-chan, I don't care, but I _know_ he's a Mazoku, and he's up to something. And you know with the Mazoku involved, it can't be something good."

"Zelgadis," she shifted, bringing her finger up as though addressing an ignorant student. "You are aware that the shield here prevents Mazoku from enter…"

"Yes, I know," he interrupted, exasperated. "But he is somehow immune. I can only guess it's because he's a high-level Mazoku, the most powerful of his kind in fact, not counting Shabranigdo and the five Dark Lords. I don't know how he does it, but he _is_ a Mazoku, that I know!"

She looked at him, but he was still staring at the wall, avoiding her gaze. She sighed, pulling herself up into a more comfortable sitting position. "Okay, so your trying to tell me that a Mazoku is about to perform the ritual that will erect a shield that prevents Mazoku from entering it?"

"Yea," he chose to ignore the sarcasm in her voice. "And I want to know why. I've had personal dealings with Xellos in the past, and he's never up to any good."

"Oh, so not only do we have a Mazoku in a Mazoku-proof shield, but he's a _friend_ of yours!" she mused. "This just keeps getting better and better."

He turned to face her, glaring, "I never said he was my friend. I said I've _dealt_ with him before," he growled, throwing up his arms in defeat. "Oh forget it. I figured you could help, but it's obvious you don't believe me. I don't know why I even bother!" He stood up and headed for the door.

"Now where are you going?"

"I can't sleep now," he sighed. "So I'm going to go for a walk to try and relax."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Yes, Duuchesney," he glared. "In the middle of the night," he slammed the door behind him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 7: Your One True Love  
> Do I even need to explain this one? It's not like I'm setting it up or anything…;)


	7. Your One True Love

Zelgadis was tired, but he was too angry to sleep. He especially couldn't sleep in the same bed with _her_ right now.

He growled as he walked, hugging himself as the cool night air hit the bare skin on his arms. He wore a short-sleeved, dark blue tunic and beige pants right now, and he cursed himself for not grabbing an extra shirt or jacket before leaving the warmth of his home. Considering where he was going, however, it didn't really matter.

Zelgadis continued to walk at a fast pace, knowing full well it wasn't relaxing him. He knew of only one place where he could be alone, where he could escape everyone and everything. He'd been there many times before on just such an occasion.

He approached the border of the shield and stopped just short of it. This was the only obstacle to getting there. It was _outside_ the shield, which meant he had to cross the border to get to it. He probably would have spent almost all of his time there, if it hadn't been for this.

He took in a deep breath, as he walked up to the shield. He hadn't crossed yet, but he could already feel the familiar sensation of pain, as though his chimera body was just waiting for him to take that last step so it could grapple and overcome him. He took one more deep breath, and practically leapt through.

He could feel his body being ripped asunder and he hissed, trying desperately to keep from crying out. He landed face first on the other side with a thud, curling into a fetal position as he waiting for the all-too-familiar burning sensation to subside. The burning turned numb, and he rubbed his stone arms to try and soothe it away. It was over now, he was on the other side. He could continue on.

He sometimes wondered why he kept his own, private hide-out outside the border, and why he risked going through that horrible pain just to get to it. Was it really worth it? Every time he passed through that shield and felt the pain, he wondered why he was so insane as to torture himself.

As he stood up and stretched out his body, he realized the answer was quite clear. He'd experienced his new, human body for over a year now, and found it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He loved being human, knowing that he could walk down the street without being stared at, knowing that he could look in the mirror and see an ordinary face staring back at him, and knowing he could touch people without them cringing at his hard, stone skin. He loved being human; but sometimes he wanted to come out here and feel the chimera on him again.

He gazed down at his hands, staring at the blue-stone skin and the black rocks imbedded in them. Of course, no matter how much he loved the power of his chimera form, he still hated the way it made him look. His skin was a hideous aqua-blue with black-green rocks that protruded from him like warts on an unsightly toad. Anyone who touched him like this risked scratching themselves painfully. Not to mention the needle-sharp wires he had for hair, strong enough to pierce the flesh of a dragon, or a wooden table top. Even his ears elongated and ended in a dull point when he became a chimera, making him look further inhuman.

He could list hundreds, if not thousands of disadvantages to this form, but, he had to admit, there were rare moments when he relished in the strength and power it gave him. He wasn't weak by any means when he was human, but the power he had as a chimera was far greater. Only one year before if he had thought he might _want_ to be a chimera, he would have thought he was crazy, but there were times when he needed to feel that power again, needed to know that he couldn't be hurt by swords and axes. He needed to know that he was now stronger and faster, needed that sensation of seeing farther and hearing more. Rezo had offered him power when he transformed him into a chimera, and now he felt he could appreciate it.

He began walking again, deeper into the forest. It was almost pitch black, with only a sliver of a moon to light his way, but he could have walked this path blind-folded if he had to. He marched through the deep forest, his eyes and ears peeled for any dangers that may await him. Inside the city, people were, for the most part, safe. Out here, however, monsters abound. The people of Nullin made a note never to come out here unless well armed, and never at night. This ensured that no one would be around to disturb him.

He found his cave, his favorite hide-out for those times that he didn't want to spend inside the city, or when he just wanted to escape Duuchesney and her gang. He'd practically abandoned the place after his relationship with Duuchesney became more…intimate, but he found himself coming here more and more since they'd started arguing again.

He could understand where she was coming from. She wanted to get out and see the world. An energetic spirit like hers wasn't meant to be cooped up in a small town like Nullin. But she didn't _know_! She didn't know about his chimera body, and he wasn't sure how she'd react to it.

He started approaching the cave again, but stopped suddenly. Something didn't look right. His hand instantly went to his sword as he surveyed the area. Everything seemed to be in place, but there was still something that felt…off.

Then it hit him, the foliage that hid his cave was different. It had been disturbed.

His hand gripped his sword tightly as he slowly approached, pushing the bushes aside to look inside. Once again, everything was as it should be, everything was where he last left it, and he saw no one inside. He slowly walked inside, looking about to see if something, anything was amiss. It didn't take long. There was someone lying in his bed.

The individual was asleep; their steady breathing easily discernable in the quite night. Deciding that a sleeping figure was less of a threat, he sheathed his sword and approached the bed.

" _Lighting_ ," a bulb of light shone in his hand, just above the head of the sleeper. Zelgadis immediately recognized her, even as she stirred and her eyes fluttered open in answer to the sudden light.

"Amelia?"

* * *

Amelia was having a strange dream. She dreamed that she was adventuring with Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis again. It was strange because Duuchesney was there too, and no matter how hard Amelia tried, she couldn't get close to Zelgadis. She was about to try and approach him again when a bright light interrupted the dream and woke her up. She squirmed, instinctively trying to cover her eyes from the light.

"Amelia?"

Her eyes shot open. She knew that voice; she looked up to see Zelgadis, the chimera Zelgadis, staring down at her, shock evident in his face.

With a squeak of surprise she sat up, looking at him with a panicked gaze. He was still looking at her, surprised and confused, "Amelia, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I um…I mean, that is to say, I…" what could she tell him? If he knew Xellos knew about this place… "I…I came out here to store my magic items, and I, um, got lost and found this place and um…"

Well, it wasn't a total lie, right? I mean, she did come out her to store her magic items, and she was technically lost, seeing as how she didn't know her way back. She flushed in embarrassment, hoping he would accept her excuse and forgive her for intruding.

Zelgadis just looked at her for several moments, his expression unreadable, and she sweat-dropped. He finally turned away, still without saying a word, and began making himself busy by the books in the corner. More sweat drops appeared as Amelia gazed at him, _'Oh no, he's mad at me. He's really mad at me!'_

"Um, well, I didn't mean to intrude," she continued, her speech growing faster and faster as she went along. "It's just, well, it got dark, and, um, I tried to find my way home, but I couldn't see, and I figured it might be too dangerous wondering around this late at night, so I, uh, found this place," _'With some help,'_ she thought, "and I came here, and I put my stuff under the bed, and then I got tired, so I…"

"Amelia," his voice was still very calm, but it made her jump just the same.

"Um, yes?"

"Relax," he said, finally turning around to face her, a book clutched in his hands. "I'm not mad at you."

"Oh," she stated, a little surprised at this. _'This certainly turned out easier than she thought.'_ "Well, despite that, I'm sorry for intruding on your place."

"How did you know this place was mine?" he asked her.

She let out a surprised squeak again, and looked at him. _'Oh no, it was Xellos-san who told me. What do I say now?'_ "Um, I, uh," she looked around the room, searching desperately for something to say. "I, it, um…it smells like you!"

He raised an eyebrow, " _Smells_ like me?"

"Well, it's not a bad smell or anything," she stammered, a blush creeping into her cheeks. _'That had to have been the stupidest thing I could possibly say!'_ "I just, well, I just kind of guessed it was your place and all," her voice grew very small and weak as she tapped her index fingers together nervously. She risked a glance at Zelgadis, who was staring back at her agape. Was that a slight blush across his cheeks too?

"Well, it doesn't matter," he said, after clearing his embarrassment with a cough. "Its actually fortunate you found this place. There are plenty of monsters surrounding Nullin and you would have been in a lot of danger if you'd slept out there."

Amelia pushed the covers down and climbed out of the bed. She decided it was best not to tell him about the monster attack just outside the city, and instead turned around and began making his bed. Keeping her hands moving this way kept her from fidgeting and showing how nervous she was, "I can take care of myself just fine, Zelgadis-san. I just got lost, that's all."

Zelgadis sighed, grinning as he watched her, "I guess I shouldn't worry so much about you. You're powerful by yourself, but you really shouldn't go off on your own, Amelia. Next time, come get me before you go venturing into the forest, okay?"

Amelia nodded, finishing her work and sitting down on the cot again. She hadn't been alone, but he didn't need to know that.

Zelgadis walked up to her, "Anyway, I'm glad you're here, actually," he said as he handed her the book he held in his hand. "It makes it easier for me to give this to you."

She took the book, turning it over in her hands curiously. "What is it?"

"Something I picked up while in the outer world," he said, taking a seat by the stacks of books and papers. "It was the original reason I came back this way. I found this book in one of the temples there, and it had some spells that I thought might help me find a cure. It's all white magic spells, however, and well beyond my capability, so I thought you'd be able to figure it out."

She opened the book, flipping through the ancient text. Her eyes went wide as she came to realize what she was looking at. "Zelgadis-san, this isn't white magic! This is Holy Magic!"

"I figured you'd like it," he said with a smirk. "I recall you telling me how you hated the fact that humans no longer had Holy Spells, and maybe with this book, you can learn to cast them again."

She gazed longingly at each page, absorbing the kind of spells that were in it. Holy Magic, a kind of advanced white magic, had been lost to man-kind for over a thousand years. Golden Dragons were the only race in the world known to still use it, but now…

"I know of several sages back home who are going to flip when I show them this," she said, as she continued to flip through the pages.

"Can you learn any of them?" Zelgadis asked.

She looked up at Zelgadis, and then turned her attention back to the pages, "It's hard to say. Even the simple spells in here are way beyond my current skills, but," she smiled as she looked at them. "I think with a few years practice, I could learn them. If I could get Filia's help, it may take even less time."

He grinned, "Well, it's yours. I'd have to learn more white magic before _I_ could hope to master the spells in there."

She closed the book, hugging it to herself, and turning shiny eyes towards the chimera, "Thank you, Zelgadis-san."

He waved his hand dismissively, "Don't mention it. Anyway, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about, too."

"Talk to _me_?"

"Yea, to get your perspective and all."

Zelgadis stood up, pacing in front of her as she anxiously waited for him to continue. "Amelia, do you remember the magical fusion we performed; the one with the magical vessels from Alto and Baritone?"

She nodded, still looking at him curiously. He was obsessing so much over this ritual, but that didn't surprise her. This was Zelgadis, after all.

"Well, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking into it, and there's a few things that bother me," he leaned up against the wall, his brow furrowed in thought. "For starters, you may remember that it was Xellos himself that suggested we use the vessels, right?"

"Yes, that's right," she answered, still not sure where this was going.

"Why do you think he had _me_ do it? Why didn't _he_ perform it with you?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, furrowing her brow and thinking for a moment before answering, "I don't know. I thought at the time it was because you and I were equal in our abilities, but…"

"But your certainly not equal with Xellos," he growled. "His power is probably several hundred times stronger than yours. If magical fusion requires the two to be equal, then it doesn't make sense for you to be performing it with a Mazoku."

"But there's no one else here who can be the Black Mage-sama," she argued.

"I still think I could do it," Zelgadis argued. "I did it before, and even if I don't know how to cast a Dragon Slave, I believe my black magic is strong enough to handle this ritual."

"The Mayor already said you couldn't do it," Amelia responded. "I'd much rather perform it with you, Zelgadis-san, but…"

"Yea, I know," he sighed, looking straight at Amelia. "I just don't trust that Mazoku. I'm thinking of taking over the ceremony on the black mage side anyway; maybe getting rid of Xellos and sneaking in somehow. I just need to figure out a way to do it."

"But, Zelgadis-san," her voice was concerned now. "If you take over the ceremony, what guarantee do we have that the shield will be strong enough? You heard what the Mayor said."

"Yea, I heard what the mayor said," he responded. "But how do we know performing it with a Mazoku will work better?"

"He said he's done Magical Fusion before, and it worked just fine," she answered him.

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow, "And you believed him?"

"He's never lied to us before!" Amelia argued.

"Never lied?" The chimera narrowed his eyes, "Amelia, the very first time we met him, he told us he was a priest of the temple that guarded the Clair Bible! He's a Mazoku! He's evil to the core and he doesn't deny it. If a lie will get him what he or his Lords want, he'll lie like a dog!"

"Yes, but he hasn't lied to us since."

"A half-truth is still a lie, Amelia!" he said those last words a little too harshly, and quietly berated himself for losing his temper.

"Yea, I know," she cringed, putting her index fingers together nervously. "He just, well, doesn't seem all that bad; for a Mazoku, at least."

Zelgadis sighed, rubbing his head to keep from getting the headache he felt coming. "Amelia, you're a shrine-maiden. Isn't it against you're religion to start liking Mazoku."

"I never said I liked them," she shot back. "It's just, well, Xellos-san doesn't act like a Mazoku is suppose to! He doesn't act all that evil and stuff."

"Xellos doesn't have to act evil to _be_ evil," he looked at her sternly. "Whatever he has planned for this city and its anti-magic shield can't be good. Personally, I think he's trying to destroy it somehow, and I can't let that happen. I have to stop him."

"Because you'll lose your cure if you don't," Amelia finished for him. She pulled her knees up to her, hugging them to her as she spoke, "Yes, I know. This is the closest thing you've ever found to a real cure. And that is why I have to perform the ceremony. The shield only has a few days left."

"And how do we know performing the ceremony with a Mazoku won't destroy everything?" he questioned.

"I...I don't know," she whined. "I don't know much about Magical Fusion; all I know comes from what Xellos-san says, and so he's the only one I can believe. Until we find anything to the contrary, I'm going to perform the ceremony with Xellos-san and we'll handle whatever happens after that."

"Just answer me one thing, Amelia?" he said, taking on a sober tone once more. "If I do find a way to perform the ceremony in his place, will you perform it with me?"

"Of course!" she answered immediately. "I'd be more than happy to, you know that."

He nodded, and there was silence for several long moments between them. Amelia looked up at Zelgadis, but his eyes were facing the opening of the cave. He was thinking about something, brooding quietly as he always did, and she took this moment to _really_ look at him.

The Zelgadis that stood before her was the one she was most familiar with, the stone skinned chimera-man, and something about that made Amelia more comfortable around him. That didn't mean she hated the human part of him, of course, but sometimes it was hard to see him as the same person she'd known for all those years.

She knew he hated the way he looked, but she couldn't help but sit there and marvel at him. The clothes he wore when she knew him, the off-white tunic and pants with open-fingered gloves were designed to keep every part of him covered and out of sight, particularly when he pulled up the hood and mask. Now he wore the short-sleeved tunic that he wore as a human, and she could see just a little more of his stone skin than he normally liked to show off.

To himself, he was a monstrous, revolting creature that repulsed and terrified people. To Amelia, however, he reminded her of a beautiful work of art. His skin was a smoky blue in this lighting, and despite its obviously rough texture, it seemed to shine like a sapphire gem in the glow of the light spell hanging from the ceiling. Smooth, black rocks lined his jaw and eyes, stones that looked like polished jewels. And his hair was a silvery blue that also shined in the light. His ears were long and pointed, and his body was slender, yet muscular, giving him a very elfish look, although he was no more an elf than she was. He stood there, like a stone statue, and she didn't even notice she was ogling him until he spoke up.

"Amelia," his voice was accusing, startling her. "You know how I hate it when people stare at me. Stop it already!"

"I…" she blushed in shame. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just… admiring you."

She expected him to start going off on her about being a freak and a monster and nothing worth admiring, but instead he just furrowed his brow and looked at her, "You _would_ say something like that."

He smiled at her, and she beamed at him, surprised that he actually took the compliment, "You've certainly changed, Zelgadis-san." She was still smiling, but a sad expression crossed her eyes, "I guess you have your love for Duuchesney to thank for that, don't you."

He frowned suddenly and looked away, "I wouldn't go that far, Amelia."

"I would," she retorted, turning her face away so he couldn't see her regret. "Love heals all wounds, you know. I can tell you're a happier person now, Zelgadis-san, and I'm glad you were able to find your one true love along with your cure. I know how much you needed to find both."

Zelgadis shifted his feet nervously, sweat-dropping slightly, "Amelia, she…she doesn't know."

"Huh?" she turned back to him, confused. "Know what?"

"She doesn't know about, well," he held up his hand and looked at it, and then looked at Amelia. He didn't need to say anything else.

"You never told her you're a chimera!"

"No," he answered. "I don't know how she'd take it really and ..."

"How could you keep something like that from her? You still turn into one when you leave the border," he didn't notice how worked up she was getting.

"Well, I never left the city with her, so she's never seen me as a…"

"That's not acceptable!" Zelgadis jumped and looked towards Amelia in surprise. She was standing up now, and he sweat-dropped as he instantly recognized the look in her eyes. She only had this look when she was about to give a speech "You should never keep secrets from your true love, Zelgadis-san, especially something as important as your true race and appearance! To keep secrets from the woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with you is evil and Unjust."

"Oh God, not this," he put his hand to his head, feeling another headache coming on as Amelia continued, striking a different, justice-inspired pose with every line.

"If you truly love her like you say you do, you'd go to her at once and let her know everything there is to know about you!"

"Amelia?"

"Think of how she'd feel if she ever discovered the truth on her own!"

"Amelia."

"A true couple should always be completely honest with each other about everything!"

"Amelia!"

"Keeping secrets from your true love is the epitome of all evil and…"

"AMELIA!"

She cringed, and backed away from Zelgadis, who looked like he was about ready to break something. "Amelia, I'm trying to be serious about this. I haven't told her because I don't know how she'll take it. Remember these people know nothing about magic! If I tell her or show myself to her, she'll think I'm a monster or something."

"If she finds out on her own, it will be worse," Amelia responded forcefully. "You need to tell her, Zelgadis-san. This is something she has to know!"

"I...I know, Amelia," he stammered. "I just...I want to make sure the time is right. I mean, she doesn't even know what a chimera is!"

"I didn't know what a chimera was either, until Lina-san told me," she stepped towards him, putting a gentle hand on his arm. He flinched, but didn't move away from her touch. "Tell her the truth; I'm sure she'll understand."

"You don't know her like I do," he turned to face her fully, trying to ignore the fact that she was extremely close to him now. "Duuchesney won't take it well. She likes beautiful things and…and…and just why am I trying to defend myself with you anyway!" His voice turned aggressive, and Amelia stepped away from him, removing her hand from his arm. "This is none of your business, Amelia!"

She was silent for a few minutes, and Zelgadis quietly berated himself for being so rude. _'But it really isn't her business,'_ he thought to himself, defending his own actions.

Surprisingly enough, she hadn't given up on the subject after his vicious outburst. "How do you think she'd react if she saw you, Zelgadis-san?"

He let his breath out slowly, letting his voice lower to a calm, more soothing tone. No berating in it at all this time. He turned to look at her, his mind sorting through his answer. "I'm not sure," he responded. "She'd probably think I was a monster, like everyone else does when they first see me. Even you thought I was a monster."

"I didn't think you were a monster," Amelia narrowed her eyes at him, "You were wearing a mask and hood and just come crashing through a window. Can you blame me for being a little frightened?" She folded her arms in front of her, turning away from him, "And besides, I was kind of in shock after finding out Rezo wasn't the saint I had always thought he was."

"It doesn't change the fact that you judged me the way everyone else does!"

"But I don't judge you that way now," she didn't sound angry, just very sincere. "You're right, it isn't very just to judge someone by their appearance alone, like I did back then. But it isn't very just to judge someone solely on their past, either. You of all people should know that, Zelgadis-san!"

He cringed at that last remark, but said nothing, turning away from her again. When it came down to it, this was just another of her speeches, but this time it hit home, and he had no answer to give her. He could only brood for a moment as he thought on her words.

"I don't want her to hate me, Amelia," he finally said, his voice more sentimental than usual. "It's been a long time since I've been close to someone like I am with her, and I don't want to lose that. I've tried to tell her, to show her even, but I just can't bring myself to do it. She'd hate me if she knew."

"How do you know that?" she walked up to him again, wanting to comfort him and console him, but she avoided touching him this time.

"I just know. I know her; I know what she's like. She's not like you Amelia, she…" he stopped, a blush creeping across his face.

"Not like me? What do you mean?"

He turned to look at the princess, his gaze meeting large, expectant blue eyes. "She…she…," his words caught in his throat, and he was forced to swallow. She was looking at him, and he found himself lost in those eyes, instantly making him forget what they were discussing. She waited patiently for him to say something, but the only response she received was a steadily increasing blush across his cheeks.

"Zelgadis-san," she said, coming so close to him he could feel the heat emanating from her body. "You're not as hideous as you seem to think you are. When someone loves you with all their heart and soul, what you look like on the outside just doesn't matter at all."

It was cheesy, but it was Amelia. He didn't say anything, but continued to stare at her, his face sweating. _'He's really afraid of telling her,'_ Amelia thought. _'He's so afraid of what his love will think.'_ She had to convince him it was okay, that he had nothing to be afraid of.

In a bold move that surprised even Amelia, she reached her hands up and touched his face. Zelgadis flinched, but didn't move away, his eyes going wide as she timidly caressed his cheeks with the tips of her fingers.

She'd wanted to touch him like this for a long time, but he'd never let her get this close before. The first thing she noticed as her fingers made contact was that the phrase "cold as stone" did not apply to him. His skin was hot to the touch, and it felt wonderful against her cold fingers. She pressed her palms to his face, and she noted that it didn't give even just slightly under her hands; although she could feel him shiver under her touch. His skin was truly as hard as the rock golem he was made from; it felt rough, but not unpleasant, like a pumice stone or fine sand stone. She slowly moved her hands to the protruding black pebbles that lined his jaw and chin. Unlike the rest of his skin, they were lumpy, but smooth, like the rocks you'd find on a river bank.

Her hands began to move towards his ears when he suddenly grabbed her wrists with both hands, pulling her hands away from his face, "Amelia, what are you doing?" he spoke in a hoarse whisper, not accusing, but shocked at her actions. She blinked, coming out of her dream-like state, then blushed when she realized how carried away she'd become.

"I, um, I wanted to, well, um," she answered, turning crimson at the thought of what she'd been doing. She down-cast her eyes, staring at his chest so she didn't have to look at his face anymore. _'What was I_ _thinking,'_ she thought to herself, her face flushed with embarrassment. It just wasn't in her nature to start caressing someone out of the blue like that. And Zelgadis was the last person who'd even want such attentions.

"I'm sorry, Zelgadis-san, I wasn't thinking, I…" she stopped as she felt his hand cup her chin, and lift her face till her eyes met his again. She expected him to say something to her, either scold her for touching him or tell her it was alright and he'd forgive her. So it surprised her to no end when he brought his mouth down on hers.

Her eyes went wide and she froze in place. She could only barely register his hand sliding behind her neck for support so he could part her lips with his own, deepening the kiss. Her mind was just having a hard time registering this! He was kissing her. _He was kissing her!_ And all she could do was stand there like an idiot!

He released her, and with her eyes still wide in shock, she could see the disappointment and shame in his face. She had barely responded to him at all, and it had made the whole ordeal very awkward.

"I'm sorry," he stammered, turning his blushing face away from hers and letting his hand slide off her neck. "I shouldn't have done…" he didn't have time to finish his apology before Amelia grabbed his ears and pulled him into a kiss of her own. Now it was Zelgadis' turn to go wide eyed and stand there like an idiot.

Amelia had dreamed of kissing Zelgadis for years, ever since they'd defeated Copy Rezo together. She'd been in love with him for so long with so little to show for it. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity slip away just because she'd been stunned for a few measly moments.

She'd tried to imagine for years what it must be like to kiss the stone-skinned chimera. Like the rest of him, his lips were hard, rough, and warm, just the way she'd imagined them, and they felt absolutely wonderful. He still hadn't responded to her, but she wasn't going to give up as easily as he had, and she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He finally relaxed and wrapped his arms around her back, returning the kiss in full, and she gave herself a mental pat on the back. She released his ears and draped her arms around his neck, holding him close to her in a pure moment of bliss.

Neither of them knew how long they remained locked together before they were rudely interrupted by a voice they both knew only too well. "Shame on you, Zelgadis-san, kissing another girl like that," They pulled away from each other and were greeted by the familiar and sly grin of the Mazoku priest.

"Xellos!" they both spoke at once, Amelia in surprise, and Zelgadis in rage. The self-proclaimed Mysterious Priest was sitting on the cot, his legs crossed in front of him while he shook his finger at them accusingly.

"And you, Amelia-chan, I never thought _you_ , a shrine-maiden of Seyruun, would go around kissing another woman's man. I'm surprised at you."

Amelia blushed furiously and turned away from the two men. If Zelgadis, however, was fazed by the Mazoku's taunts, he didn't show it, "What the hell are you doing here, Xellos?"

"Me? Why I'm just keeping an eye on Amelia-chan here. I _did_ tell her that I would protect her, and it would be very poor of me to go back on my promise."

"Protect her?" he looked at Amelia, who still had his back to him, then turned to Xellos.

"I told her I would protect her when I led her here," he waved his hand in a very matter-of-fact manner. "Despite what you may think of me, Zelgadis-san, I do try to keep my promises."

"You led…" he stopped, then turned a glaring eye to Amelia. She could feel his eyes on her, and she sweat-dropped. When he spoke again, his accusing tone made her whimper with guilt "So you got lost, did you?"

"He left me here, and I couldn't get back," she whined, still not looking at him. "I…I didn't want to upset you Zelgadis-san."

He didn't respond to her, but she knew he was fuming, and she couldn't bear to look at him. Zelgadis turned away from Amelia with a shake of his head, and turned his fierce expression back to the demon. "How long have you known about this place, Xellos?"

"Oh, since you first found it almost a year ago," he answered cheerfully. "I've been keeping my eye on you for some time, you know."

Zelgadis clenched his fist, a low growl escaping from his gritted teeth. _'He knew! This was supposed to be my private place and that stupid Mazoku knew!'_

"Oh, don't worry so much, Zelgadis-san. I haven't told anyone but Amelia-chan about this place, and only because she needed a place to store her things. You don't mind do you?"

"Yes I _mind_!" he snarled, advancing on the Mazoku. "The last person I wanted to know about this place was _you_!"

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Xellos-san," Amelia interrupted, wringing her hands together nervously. "What are you doing here? I mean, why did you have to come _now_?" Part of her wanted to cuss him out for interrupting them, but mostly she wanted to calm Zelgadis down.

"Oh, well," Xellos smiled at the princess. "It's morning now, so I'm here to escort you back to the city."

"Well, thank you Xellos-san," she responded, still nervous. "But I think Zelgadis-san can do that."

"Oh," Xellos cracked an eye open, sneering at Amelia, "So you really _are_ having a scandalous affair then. How amusing, I wonder what the people of Seyruun would think if they knew how 'unjust' their dear Princess was."

"It's not like that!" she blushed furiously, stealing a quick glance towards the chimera before turning away again.

"Oh, I think it is," he was still sneering at her. "Zelgadis-san was still with Duuchesney-san the last I heard. _And_ , last I heard, kissing another woman's lover was cheating, or has the definition changed in the last thousand years or so."

Amelia blushed with shame again, and looked at Zelgadis. He wasn't looking at her, he was still staring at Xellos, but his expression had changed. He'd gone from enraged to that cold, expressionless face he was well known for.

He finally closed his eyes and sighed. "Amelia," he said, although he didn't look at her. "Go with Xellos, he'll take you back to the city."

"What! But Zelgadis-san, I thought…"

"Just go with Xellos, okay?" Zelgadis clenched his fists, glaring at the smirking Mazoku again.

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. The last thing she expected was to have Zelgadis _tell_ her to go back with the Mazoku, knowing how much he hated him. But there was something about the look in Zelgadis' eyes that said he wanted to be alone right now.

The click of a staff on the rock floor of the cave brought her out of her day dream, and she looked up to find the Mazoku priest looking at her, "Shall we be off then, Amelia-chan?"

Amelia took another glance at Zelgadis, but he still wasn't looking at her. He was purposefully avoiding her gaze. With down cast eyes, she left the cave.

Zelgadis didn't look their way, although he could hear Amelia's soft footsteps on the cave floor and the rustle of leaves as she left. It didn't occur to him that he'd only heard one set of footsteps, until he heard the familiar voice of Xellos once again.

"Just one more thing, Zelgadis-san," Xellos spoke, surprising the chimera. "I heard your little conversation with Amelia-san, about how you wish to take over as the Black Mage-sama. I figured I'd best give you a bit of a warning before you consider it. It's only fair, really"

He looked at the Mazoku, intrigued, "Warning?"

"Yes. You see, I've been ordered by Beastmaster-sama to perform this ceremony, and it just won't do to have some competition for the position, so to speak. So I felt that I should warn you," His eyes opened slightly, but were still menacingly narrow. "If you cause trouble for me, Zelgadis-san, then I promise you; I _will_ cause trouble for _you._ "

Zelgadis snorted, glaring at Xellos, "That's a pointless threat if I ever heard one? You've caused trouble for me since the day I met you!"

"Yes, but before that was just for fun," he replied casually. "This time I'm being serious. Very serious, Zelgadis-san, and I would advise you not to ignore my warning."

Xellos nodded his head to Zelgadis, and turned back to the cave entrance, leaving the chimera to his own thoughts.

* * *

Zelgadis waited several minutes before heading back to the town on his own. Part of him wanted to follow Xellos and Amelia, to make sure the Mazoku didn't try anything, but he knew it was foolish. Xellos made it clear he needed Amelia to complete his mission, so it was very unlikely that he'd try and hurt her.

He had been up all day and all night, and exhaustion was begging him to just sleep in his hiding place, but he couldn't. This place felt tainted now, ever since he found out Xellos had been here, had known about it from day one. Just how many times had he come here to find solitude, to sleep outside of Nullin, to write in his journal?

He walked outside the cave, strolling back to town. Was Xellos looking over his shoulder; a hovering, invisible intrusion into his private thoughts as he wrote them down on paper? Was he watching as he privately strummed his guitar, or just lay in his bed, talking to himself when he needed to sift through his thoughts? He snarled, clenching his fist. He had! Somehow Zelgadis _knew_ he had. The Mazoku lived to torment him, and getting a free glimpse into his private life was the ideal way to do so. Xellos had witnessed his kiss with Amelia, and all the priest had to do to make him suffer was tell Duuchesney about it. Xellos had more power over him than Zelgadis ever wanted to think about, and it frightened him as much as it angered him.

He stopped in mid-step, his brow furrowing in thought. Just what had possessed him to kiss Amelia back there anyway? He was heartless and cold, it was so unlike him to make such a bold and passionate move like that.

Of course, even as he said it, he knew why. It was because she came close to him, looked at him, and even touched him. He'd never been touched like that before, not even by Duuchesney, and it shocked him. At first he thought she was just sating her curiosity, since he couldn't count the number of times little children and overly zealous people would try to touch him to see if he really _was_ made of stone. He hated it. They saw him as nothing more than the member of a freak petting zoo. He refused to let anyone treat him that way.

And the way they always _looked_ at him, always staring in unbridled curiosity, disgust, or even abject terror. Even if he wore his mask and hood to hide his features, they would still look at him suspiciously. He just couldn't escape it!

But something about Amelia's touch was different. She'd touched him before, but then it was just the occasional hand on his arm, a rare glomping, or grabbing his hand so she could pull him along. This was different, however. Her touch seemed so very… personal somehow, loving and tender, like she was trying to comfort him and prove to him that someone out there really did care about him. And her _eyes,_ the look in her eyes, he just couldn't get that image out of his head. She gazed at him with such adoration that it had burned an impression into his mind that would probably remain there forever.

He'd known for a long time that he loved her, that young, hero-worshipping girl. He knew she had a crush on him, but she was just a silly little girl who had no idea what romance with a freak would do to her. Now she was a beautiful, mature woman, who _still_ had feelings for him, and she was all the more desirable for it.

She was his complete opposite; a warm, lovable girl with an infectious sense of optimism as well as a complete lack of common sense and reality. While he was a heartless, mystical swordsman who'd shut himself off to the world after seeing its dark side all too often. Both had suffered hardship in their life; she suffered the assassination of her dear mother, her older sister running away from home after going insane, and the plot of both her uncle and her cousin to kill her father and take the throne of Seyruun.

He, on the other hand, had been orphaned almost from birth, and was transformed into a chimera, a _freak_ , by his own great-grandfather, Rezo. He had channeled his pain into a sense of determination, first to get revenge on Rezo, and then to seek out his cure and become normal again. He found if he kept his thoughts focused on a single undertaking, he didn't have to dwell on the pain of his past.

Maybe she was doing the same thing? Maybe she was channeling her pain into a determination to right the wrongs of the world and bring justice to those who needed it, so that she, too, could avoid facing the tragedy of her youth. He smirked to himself; perhaps they weren't so different after all.

But now that he had his cure, he was determined to lead a normal life, the kind of life that he'd dreamed of having since he'd first been transformed. He had originally planned to get his cure, and then return to Amelia, if she still wanted him. Perhaps a life with her wouldn't be entirely normal, since it would make him a prince of Seyruun, but it was better than the life of a chimera. The plan was simple, easy to understand, and a good plan for the future. He just never dreamed his cure would include so many restrictions.

He sighed as he forced his feet to move once again. Duuchesney and he had been lovers for over six months now, but now that Amelia was here he was confused. Damn it all, he loved Amelia too! She was sweet, pure, loving, and she loved him despite his curse. Duuchesney was selfish, spoiled, and she didn't even know about his curse.

But he couldn't be with Amelia, whether he wanted to or not. Loving her meant living in Seyruun, and being in Seyruun meant being a chimera again. He knew what the average person thought of his appearance, and he didn't even want to think what the people of Seyruun would think if she brought him home as a suitor. She may be capable of accepting him the way he was, but would her people?

He loved the Seyruun Princess, but loving just wasn't enough, especially in this case. If it was just her, he could ask her to move here, to Nullin, where they could be together. But Amelia came with an entire _kingdom_ attached, and it was extra baggage that Zelgadis couldn't handle. Nullin offered him everything he wanted: a cure, a career, even a lover, and he didn't want to lose that. He shouldn't have kissed Amelia back there, he knew it could only lead to trouble for all of them.

The border to the shield was in sight now, and he paused for a moment as he gazed at the hazy field. The pain would return when he stepped through and he'd be human again. Outside the shield, he could have Amelia, but inside the shield, he had Duuchesney _and_ his cure. _'Despite what Amelia strives for,'_ he thought to himself, _'the world could be a very_ unjust _place._ ' He stepped towards the field.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 8: Betrayal  
> After making Amelia's dreams come true, I go and crush 'em. I'm so cruel…:P


	8. Betrayal

The day of the fusion ceremony was quickly approaching and it was a time of both celebration and apprehension. Everyone in Nullin had heard the stories of demons and monsters attacking in swarms the day of the celebration in an attempt to stop it, and the people were making preparations for that very event. Still, along with the preparations, there was also a lot of festivity. After all, the famous Magical Fusion ritual of Nullin only took place once very 100 years.

Amelia didn't need the continual parties and celebrations to feel like she was on cloud nine. She sat in her room, singing one of the local tunes she'd heard at one of their parties, while dancing around her room. She was normally very cheerful, but she swore she had never felt so happy in her entire life.

_'He loves me!'_ She brought both hands up to her face, her eyes shining with unbridled joy. Then with a laugh, she spun in place, letting her cape billow out behind her and wrap around her body. She spun and spun until she felt her legs hit the bed and she collapsed onto her back, dizzy with euphoria. She breathed heavily, feeling her heart beating strongly and rapidly, but she was so filled with joy she couldn't believe it. _'He loves me!'_ She squealed with delight, practically throwing herself off of the bed so she could dance around the room again.

For so long and for so many years she had pined for him, hoping he would one day return her feelings, and, at last, he _had._ Again she broke into song, her beautiful voice carrying across the room as she continued to dance and spin.

She stopped only when her eyes fell upon a book sitting on her nightstand, the Holy Magic book Zelgadis had given her the night before. Her eyes lit up again as she skipped over to the night stand and picked it up, hugging the book to her like the treasure it was.

She'd flipped through it before and was absolutely thrilled and fascinated by the knowledge she was finding inside. Spells that had been lost to mankind for over a thousand years, such as various cures for blindness and deafness, advanced illusion spells, and even Filia's teleportation spell was described in this book. Some of the more powerful spells the gold dragon knew where not in this book, such as _Chaotic Disintegrate_ , but the spells Amelia found in there were incredible to behold. She wasn't sure just how long it would take for her to learn them.

She sat down on the bed, removing her boots before putting her feet up and leaning her back against the headboard. She opened the book before her, letting the complex writing distract her from the evening's festive events. The instructions were written in Human, but a very old form that was hard for her to interpret. Not only that, but the spells themselves where in an ancient language, possibly Dragon, that would also make them harder to understand and memorize. She may have to go to Filia for help if she wanted to learn these spells, but considering Filia was still in the outer world, getting to her would prove difficult.

She flipped through the pages, stopping here and there to read a passage or two, but she was just too excited to think about reading right now. She closed the book, setting it back on the night stand reverently. She could try and go through it later, when she was feeling a little more relaxed than she was now.

She leaned back against the bed, letting her mind wander back to that night in the cave. It wasn't her first kiss by any means, but it had been her first kiss with _him_ , and it was a memory she knew she'd cherish for a long time. He loved her; he really loved her! The kiss they shared was all the evidence she needed.

_'And yet,'_ she thought, her expression dropping into a frown, _'I haven't seen him since that time in the cave.'_ That just didn't seem right. He loved her, so wouldn't he come looking for her? In all the stories she'd read, the lovers couldn't stay away from each other after sharing a kiss. And yet, she hadn't seen him for two days!

She remembered back to Xellos and the words he spoke to them in the cave. Perhaps his words had affected Zelgadis more than she though; maybe guilt was keeping him away from her. Yes, that must be it, he was feeling guilty!

_'I should feel guilty, too,'_ she mused. Xellos was right; kissing Zelgadis when he was still with Duuchesney was unjust and if anyone else had done it, she'd be lecturing them on the virtues of loyalty and commitment even now. The fact that she didn't feel guilty about it was the only thing making her feel guilty, actually.

She climbed off of her bed again, running downstairs and out the door in a flash. Past the gate and off of the Mayor's property, she rushed into the main part of town. It was still early in the day, and the townsfolk were hustling and bustling about they're daily business. A few people turned to look at the princess, but she ignored them. She was looking for one person and one person only.

And he wasn't here.

Amelia couldn't hide her disappointment, but she wasn't about to give up either. If you couldn't find what you were looking for, the best thing to do was ask.

"Excuse me?" Amelia spoke up, running towards the first person she saw. A plump, middle-aged woman, holding an infant in her arms, looked up at Amelia and smiled.

"White Mage-sama! What an honor. What can I do for you?" she had a sweet, motherly voice.

"I'm looking for someone, a man by the name of Zelgadis-san? Do you know him?"

"Ah, yes, the foreigner," the woman responded, before chuckling. "Oh dear, I'm sure that must sound strange to you, being a foreigner yourself. It just isn't very often we have a man come into town and then take up residence here."

"Do you know where he lives?" this seemed promising.

"Oh, I'm afraid not. He used to have an apartment near the Mayor's house, but he moved out of there several months ago. I'm not sure where he lives now."

_'Dang it,'_ Amelia cursed to herself. "Well, um, do you know where I can find him?"

"Hmm, I believe I saw him about an hour ago," she shifted the baby in her arms, cocking her head in thought. "Looked to me like he was heading south, towards the city park. I'll bet you'll find him there, White Mage-sama."

Amelia's heart leapt in her throat, and with a quick thanks to the woman, she ran towards the park as fast as she could.

The park was humble, but well cared for, and even gave a small glimpse of Nullin Lake through the forest trees and the haze of the shield that surrounded the city. Children played games in one section, such as marbles, tag, and hopscotch, while their parents watched nearby. In another section of the park, on top of a small hill, lovers curled around benches overlooking the lake. During these festive times, it was especially popular to come here.

Amelia gazed around the park, trying to see a head of thick, violet-blue hair, but she didn't see it. Could she have missed him? She circled around the park, looking each way, hoping to catch a peek of Zelgadis, wherever he may be. Then her eyes caught sight of something, a flash of blue in the trees surrounding the park, just out of view of everyone else. Her heart skipped a beat as she rushed in that direction, hoping it was him.

"Zelgadis-san!" she cried out. "Zelgadis-san, where are you?" She pushed the branches aside, revealing yet another clearing next to the park. And there, standing in the middle of the clearing, was Zelgadis.

He had heard her calls and he turned to face her. She almost ran out to him, thrilled that she'd finally found him after all this time, but she stopped short. He wasn't alone.

Standing next to him, his arm around her shoulders, was Duuchesney. Amelia froze, staring at the scene in front of her in disbelief. The bandit-woman turned to look at Amelia as well, and a bitter grin crossed her face when she spotted her.

"What do you want, Princess?" it was Duuchesney who spoke, her tone harsh but calm. Zelgadis shot a nasty glare at the bandit woman, removing his arm from her shoulder and walking over to Amelia.

"Zelgadis-san?" she brought her fist up to her mouth, confused and uncertain as to how she was supposed to continue. She looked up at Zelgadis, her eyes pleading for an explanation.

Zelgadis stopped just in front of her, but continued to stare at her, his expression unreadable as always. The Princess thought she noticed a glint of pain in his eyes, but he said nothing.

"Zelgadis-san?" she pressed. "What…I don't understand," she asked in all innocence. Her mind refused to acknowledge what she knew was happening here.

There was silence between the two for several moments. Duuchesney looked on in confusion, but she kept quiet, sensing the tension in the air. Finally, Zelgadis turned away from Amelia, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Without another word, he rushed back to Duuchesney, grabbing the startled bandit-woman by the hand and walked away from the Princess.

That did it! There was no denying it now. Amelia fled from the scene like her life depended on it, tears stinging the back of her eyes as she tried to keep from sobbing. The market place and it's people were little more than a blur of faces and voices as she dashed through the streets. All she could think about was getting to her home and to her room as fast as her legs could carry her. She had to escape.

She ran into the Mayor's home with all the speed she could muster. She scaled the stairway in record time, rushing into her room and slamming the door behind her. She quickly locked the door and slumped against it, letting the side of her head press against the wood. Then she dropped to the floor and wept with all the pain five years of lost love could conjure up.

* * *

Amelia's run through the market did not go unnoticed, of course. Sanja, the owner of Nullin's General Store, stared out his window, watching the princess run by. It was clear she was distraught, and he had the unfortunate honor of knowing why. Such a shame, and she was so happy earlier.

He'd spoken with Zelgadis just this morning when he came in to work, and they had talked about all of his "female" trouble. He'd offered what advice he could to the troubled young man, and Zelgadis had come to his own decision. Sanja could only hope he'd made the right decision.

"Poor girl," he said out-loud, turning his head away from the window and back to his store. "A nice girl like that shouldn't have to deal with such things."

"Who is poor, Sanja-san?"

The store keeper looked up, staring at the one and only customer in the store. Black Mage-sama had been there for over one hour, and had yet to buy anything! He was simply browsing the store, picking up things here and there and gazing at them curiously before placing them back on the shelf.

Sanja rolled his eyes, leaning back against the window-sill. "White Mage-sama," he answered. "I just saw her run by, and she did not look happy."

"Ah," Xellos said, recognition dawning on his features. He didn't seem too distraught by the news though.

Sanja looked on as the priest picked up a small box of basic tools, opening it and examining it for what must have been the third or forth time. There was a great deal of work the shop keeper needed to do in the back, but as long as he had a customer up front he had to be ready to help him. So he sat there, watching Xellos while being bored as hell. _'Damn these inconsiderate foreigners!'_

"If you need any help finding anything, Black Mage-sama…"

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you," Xellos answered without looking up. He closed the box and put it back on the shelf, moving a few steps over to browse another part of the shelf, the part he had been looking at only ten minutes earlier. Sanja tried desperately to keep from blowing up at him. He was a customer; after all. He just had to try and be patient.

"Well, if you find anything you're interested in, _please_ let me know, okay?" He stood up, walking back behind the counter towards the back of the store. He could always just dust back there, _again_ , while he waited for the sorcerer to make his decision.

"I am interested in something actually."

Sanja stopped at the counter and looked back at Xellos, shock evident on his face. Finally, we were getting somewhere! "Yes, Black Mage-sama?"

"I'd like to deliver a message to someone."

A _message_? "Uh, okay, but if you want to send a letter home, Black Mage-sama, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to the Mayor…"

"Oh, no, no," Xellos waved his hand dismissively. "I need to deliver a message to someone in town. It's very important that I speak to this person as soon as possible."

"Well, I suppose I can do that," he shrugged, crawling behind the counter and picking up a pad and paper from the shelf. "I know everyone in town. Who do you want me to send this to?"

"Duuchesney-san."

Sanja cocked an eye and looked up at the priest, his face showing only intrigue, "The Duchess? You want me to send a message to _her_?"

"Yes, she's the one. Tell her I want to meet her…"

"Can't do," Sanja interrupted, stepping away from the counter. "I can deliver a message to anyone in town _except_ her!"

"Oh? Why is that?" the sorcerer seemed genuinely surprised, but Sanja could sense disbelief in there as well.

"She's the most wanted criminal in Nullin," he explained, keeping his voice calm. "If we knew where she was, she'd be thrown in jail right now. Nobody knows where to find her, so I can't deliver your message."

"Oh well, in that case," Xellos continued, his voice still holding that hint of disbelief. "Just tell her I want to meet her outside the city and talk."

"I told you!" he was exasperated now. "I don't know where to find her."

"I'll be waiting for her until dusk," Xellos continued, ignoring the shop keeper's protests. "If she doesn't come before then, make sure to tell her she's missing out on a great opportunity."

Sanja could only sputter as Xellos turned around and walked out of the store, his staff clicking on the wooden floor as he exited. The shop keeper stared after him for several moments, his mind racing at what he'd just heard.

Finally, when he knew it was safe, Sanja pulled something from behind the counter and approached his door, hanging it up just outside. He couldn't be completely certain how Black Mage-sama knew of his connections to the gang, but he knew "The Duchess" would want to know about what took place here.

Certain his " _Back In One Hour_ " sign was up, he left through the back and headed for her house outside the city.

* * *

Amelia didn't know how long she had been crying, but it felt like forever. Her tears had long since dried up and she sat at the door, gazing into space. She had been so joyful and full of life earlier, that few would have recognized her now.

_'It wasn't FAIR!'_ she thought to herself. She'd loved him for so long, never giving up on the hope that he'd one day love her in return. She thought her dreams had finally come true when he kissed her in the cave. How could he possible be with _her_ again after _that_! _'It just wasn't fair!'_

But, then again, he had been with her before she'd come to Nullin. He'd chosen Duuchesney long before he'd ever chosen her. He'd all but ignored her subtle advances. Was he even aware of how she felt about him? Perhaps she'd been too subtle, and should have made it clear to him a long time ago that she was in love with him. Then maybe, just maybe, he would be with _her_ now, and not with that bandit-woman.

But how could he just play with her heart like that? He'd never been the sensitive or romantic type, but you'd think he'd at least know not to kiss a girl and then go out with another the next day! Even if the other girl _was_ his real girlfriend, which made her the mistress…

"That's right," Amelia sobbed to herself. "He's with her, not you. He wasn't cheating on you, he was cheating on _her_!" She squeezed the tears from her eyes, taking a sniffling breath. "You're just getting in the way of his happy life now, Amelia."

Her sobbing began to subside, and she pressed her back against the door, looking past the effects in her room. She was slowly going numb as the anguish from what she witnessed receded. All that was left was a small ache in the pit of her stomach. She felt sick and she wanted to throw up, but she knew it was only love-sickness. Zelgadis had made his choice quite clear, and she had no choice but to accept it, whether she liked it or not.

She was so confused! It wasn't supposed to be like this! When she found her feelings for Zelgadis growing, she tried to keep a discreet distance from him, giving him only subtle hints here and there to let him know she was interested in him. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him away like she had her sister.

And yet, he still fled from her; he still went running into the arms of another woman when Amelia let him go to find his cure! That wasn't how it was suppose to work. He was suppose to come back to _her_! He promised her he'd come back to her.

_'Stop it, Amelia,'_ she berated herself, as her thoughts caught up to her again. _'You know you had nothing to do with Zelgadis' decision! He made the choice on his own. It had nothing to do with you!'_ She clutched her head as a single sob wracked her body. It was so selfish and self-centered of her to think that way. _'What is wrong with me?'_ She was stronger than this.

Slowly she picked herself up off the floor, walking over to her bed. Laying there was the book Zelgadis had given her, the book of Holy Magic. Her first instinct was to pick up the book and fling it across the room in anger. She wasn't stupid, however. The book was a rare artifact. It didn't matter who gave it to her.

She lifted the book up, looking at it with a blank, drained expression, before setting it on her night stand. She felt horribly sick again, so she crawled into her bed, lying back down and resting her arm on her forehead. She stared at the canopy above her head, trying to calm down her insides.

Was she just handling this situation the wrong way? Is that what her body was telling her? She had been under a lot of stress lately, what with the upcoming ritual; the Mazoku Xellos, Zelgadis and his bandit-lover Duuchesney, not to mention the constant fawning and parties from the people of Nullin. It was enough to drive a girl crazy.

Suddenly her chest hurt, and Amelia brought her hand down to rub it, trying to relieve the pressure. She could feel the familiar tears well up in her eyes yet again, and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to keep from breaking down like a wallowing idiot again. She'd heard of people suffering physical affects when suffering from an illness of the heart, but she never knew it was this bad. And this kind of pain could not be healed with a healing spell.

At least, no healing spell that _she_ knew. Her eyes turned back to the Holy book sitting on her night stand. It was filled with several spells used specifically for healing. Maybe there was a spell in there that could take this heart ache away, or a spell to make her forget her love for Zelgadis. She was willing to try anything right now, if it would just make the pain go away.

She reached over, picking the book up once again, and began flipping through the pages. She came upon one spell of healing and she forced herself to read it. Anything was better than this heart-ache.

* * *

Duuchesney strolled along the border, careful to keep herself hidden among the trees and bushes there. The shield was well in view, the forest beyond it shifting and wavering in a hypnotic pattern as she looked on. So far, nothing resembling a human being could be seen.

Sanja had delivered his message regarding the Black Mage-sama, so she came to the border, anxious to know what he wanted. He had said it was important, but of course, "important" meant different things to different people. She had considered just ignoring the request all together. For all she knew, it was a trap meant to capture her and have her thrown in jail.

But she was dreadfully curious. He was an important figure in town, given the highest respect by the people of Nullin, and it was unlikely they'd mention a stain on their fair city like _her_ to someone like _him_. And yet, he had asked for her very specifically, by her _real_ name even, not her gang title.

He wanted to meet her _outside_ the anti-magic shield. This, too, made the bandit leader nervous; heaven knows what a powerful mage like him could do to her while outside the shield. Never-the-less, she was here, preparing to meet the Black Mage-sama and find out what he wanted with her. She planned on staying well within the border, but she could at least look to see if he was around.

She heard a strange noise coming from the other side of the field, like the sound of an explosion, followed by a series of noises she'd never heard before. Duuchesney stopped, cocking her head to the side. She had only a moment to wait before she heard it again.

"You do know that curiosity killed the cat, right Duu-chan," she said to herself even as she slowly crept out of the shield towards the source of the noise.

She didn't have to go far. In a small clearing in the forest beyond the shield she spotted him, staff in one hand and the other extended in front of him. She quickly hid herself behind a tree, studying Black Mage-sama, who didn't seem to have noticed her. She simply watched in curiosity as he lifted his staff into the air, bringing his other hand up to the red crystal at its head. He touched the crystal, and then pulled away, a stream of golden light flowing from the staff into his fingers.

Duuchesney gasped, her wide eyes fixed on the sight in front of her. Not since her parents were alive had she seen real, honest-to-goodness magic, and the sight captivated her instantly.

She watched as the stream of light began to take form, twisting and stretching into the form of a creature even she recognized from the books she'd seen, the form of a small, cat-sized golden dragon. The dragon separated itself from his staff and began to flap its wings, hovering just in front of the black mage. She watched in awe as Xellos made a gesture into the sky, and the light-dragon obeyed, soaring into the heavens.

It was so very silly and childish to be watching him like this, but so wonderful and beautiful as well. How she'd longed to see this for so long, and had never had the opportunity. Not even Zelgadis would show this to her, the stubborn ass.

The dragon grew in size, becoming as big as a human, then a horse, until it was finally the size of a full grown dragon. With a swift, downward stroke of his hand, Xellos commanded the dragon downward, and it swooped in coming within inches of where Duuchesney was hidden, and she ducked instinctively, closing her eyes in fright. She heard nothing however, and soon she dared to open her eyes. The light-dragon was no where in sight.

She glanced back at the clearing, only to find Black Mage-sama was nowhere to be found. She looked all around the area, but he was gone along with the dragon he had created; vanished into thin air.

_'Ah well,'_ she thought to herself, leaning her head against the tree as she looked at the clearing. The show was short but sweet, and it was all she was going to see. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her pants before preparing to go back to the shield.

"And just where do you think you're going, Duuchesney-san?"

She felt her stomach leap into her throat at the sound, and she spun around, looking directly behind her. There, leaning casually against a tree, was Xellos, smiling in his ever-present teasing manner.

"How did you do that!" she finally gasped out, her heart still beating like mad from the fright he gave her. She didn't even hear him go by. No one had ever snuck past her that way, not without her knowledge.

He brought up his hand, touching his nose lightly, and still grinning. "Think about it, Duu-san. You saw my performance just now, so how do you think I did it?"

Duuchesney flushed with embarrassment, but tried to hide it with a scowl. He was mocking her! How dare he mock her!

"Did you enjoy my little show," he asked her, moving away from the tree to stand at his full height. "I figured a magic-deprived woman such as yourself would appreciate it."

"It was okay," she lied with a shrug, her voice cracking slightly from fear. So he had known of her presence behind the tree the whole time. He probably cast those noisy spells just to get her out of the shield. She had the horrible feeling she was in big trouble, but she refused to show her anxiety. "My informants tell me you've been speaking to them about me."

"I simply wanted to talk to you," he confirmed. "I know a few things about you, Duuchesney-san. You're a powerful warrior, and yet you carry within you the blood of a sorceress. It seems a shame, being stuck in a town like this where you had no contact with the very magic that is a part of you."

Her eyes narrowed, "A sorceress? Me? You must be joking?"

"Your parents were both sorcerers, were they not?"

Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. How could he possibly know that?

"I've been studying this town for a long time," he continued, as though answering her unasked question. "I knew of your parents, if only in passing. They were hardly the greatest mages I ever knew, but they were strong, none-the-less, and you are they're offspring. Doesn't it make sense to say that you, too, would possess such power?"

"It doesn't matter," she spat back. "They're dead, just like any form of magic in this crap town."

"Yes, but you are not dead," he continued. "Wouldn't you like to continue the legacy your parents left behind?"

"I already told you I can't," she shot back, but there was a quiver in her voice as she said it. Yes she'd wanted to. She'd always wanted to be a sorcerer, just like her mother and father. She could still remember watching them use their magic to defeat monsters and protect her as they traveled from place to place.

She wanted so much to become a sorceress, but that dream seemed unreachable now. The attitude in this small town was that magic was useless, so why bother learning it. Why waste you're time on such a thing if you could only use it when leaving the safety of the shield.

Xellos took a few steps towards her, "I can help you, Duuchesney-san."

For a split second, the bandit-woman had forgotten Xellos was even there, and she started at the sound of his voice. She quickly regained her composure, giving the priest a cold expression once again. "Help me?"

"I'm offering you an exchange of services," The Black Mage-sama continued to approach until he was mere inches from her and raised a single, gloved hand, palm up, just in front of her face. Duu watched nervously, and even jumped in surprise when he suddenly produced a small, blue flame in the palm of his hands.

The bandit brought her hand up to her chest, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart, but her eyes never left the flame in his hand. Xellos smirked as the dancing flame in his hand changed color, from blue, to lavender, to red, yellow, orange, green, and so on. She only stared, captivated by the beautiful site in front of her.

"I could teach you magic," Xellos continued. "I could help you fulfill your dream, the dream of following in your parent's footsteps."

He closed his hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame and bringing Duuchesney out of her hypnotic state. She gulped, taking a quick glance at his face, then back to his hand again before conjuring up the nerve to speak, "It would take me years to learn magic."

"Yes, it would, but I'll only be teaching you the basics. What I'm asking in return calls for nothing more."

And that of course, brought up her real concern. After all, she'd learned a long time ago that nothing came without a price. "What do you want?"

Xellos smiled again, lowering his hand to his side, "First of all, I'm sure you're fully aware, my dear Duuchesney-san, that the Mazoku like to send a host of demons to this place every 100 years in their attempt to stop the shield from going up."

"Yea, I know about that," she glanced up at the priest again, looking straight into his eyes. Or at least his eyelids. "Everyone is making plans for war even as we speak."

"Indeed, and as you know, I'll be busy performing the Fusion ceremony, so I won't be able to contribute my power to the effort.

"Not only that," he emphasized, opening his eyes slightly to look at her, "but I've received word from a _very_ reliable source that the Mazoku have sent only _one_ of their kind this time."

"One?" she looked at him confused, "Why just one? I thought they wanted this shield destroyed completely?"

"I'm afraid their numbers have dwindled significantly since Lord Gaav and Lord Phibrizzo where destroyed. They can only afford to send a single Mazoku here, but he's a powerful one, capable of infiltrating into the city without much notice."

Duuchesney smirked as an idea struck her, "That Mazoku wouldn't happen to be you would it?"

She watched his reaction carefully, looking for any signs that might give him away, but he simply looked at her with genuine confusion, "What makes you say that?"

Duuchesney hesitated a moment, then sighed, crossing her arms in front of her and turning away from him, "It's nothing. A friend of mine tried to convince me that _you_ were a Mazoku."

"And you believed him," there was genuine amusement in his voice that made Duuchesney cringe.

"Not really, no, but I'd like to think he wasn't lying to me."

"It was Zelgadis-san who told you that, wasn't it?"

She looked at Xellos, who was still smiling as he looked at her, "Yea, he was the one. He claims he knew you?"

"Indeed, he did," she didn't expect a confirmation from Xellos, but she was becoming accustomed to surprises now. "I traveled with him along with the sorceress Lina Inverse. Perhaps he's mentioned her."

"The Bandit Killer? Yea, he's mentioned her. He never mentioned you until you came to Nullin though."

Xellos shrugged, giving off a sigh of amused disappointment, "Oh, I suppose that shouldn't surprise me. Zelgadis-san never did like me." He shook his head, making a "tsk, tsk" sound as he did so.

"Well, I found it hard to believe you were a Mazoku even then," she said, shrugging. "You're much too goofy looking."

She had her head turned, so she didn't see the sweat drop that appeared on his head, or the slight twitch in his eye, "Yes, well, at any rate, getting back to the subject."

"Yea, yea," she waved her hand dismissively, and then turned her attention back to the priest. "A single Mazoku is coming to town, and you want me to kill it, right? Is that the deal?"

"Oh, I very much doubt you could kill him, regardless of you're skill, Duuchesney-san," he ignored the sudden, angry twitch in her eye. "Don't worry. All I really need is for you to do is keep him busy until the ritual is complete." He walked up to her, pulling something out of the pouch on his side as he did so, "and I have a little something that can help you do just that."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 9: To Heal a Broken Heart  
> The day of the Magical Fusion Ceremony has arrived!


	9. To Heal a Broken Heart

It was now the day of the fusion ceremony. It amazed Amelia that the people here knew the exact day and almost the exact time the shield would be going down, since it was still up and as strong as ever. This was 100 years to the day, and they claimed the shield was very punctual. This evening, the shield would go down and the city would be vulnerable until she and Xellos restored it again.

She hadn't seen Zelgadis or Duuchesney since the day she saw them in the park, but it was just as well. She'd prefer to forget about both of them if she could. But even so, this horrible stomach ache she had for several days now would not go away. In fact, it kept getting worse; not only did her stomach hurt, but her whole body was in pain. It felt as if every inch of her body were being torn apart, and she found herself spending most of the last few days lying in bed.

The Mayor had shown concern, but she didn't want anyone worrying about her. She told him that she simply wanted to spend the last few days alone so she could prepare for the ceremony. He didn't seem completely convinced, but he didn't push the issue either. She didn't want to tell him the reason she felt this way.

She'd tried reading and studying the Holy Magic book again, but reading it made her all the more nauseous, so she simply lay in bed, staring at the canopy and dreaming. She had convinced herself she'd be well by this time, ready and able to tackle the day and the ritual. She had even dressed for the day. She put on the traveling outfit she'd first entered Nullin in, despite the effort it took to do so.

She needn't have bothered, however. The simple act of dressing had weakened her so much that she was left lying in bed all over again.

Tonight she would be performing the ceremony and then she could go home. She'd never been so anxious to see the city of Seyruun in her life. The people of Nullin had been so kind to her, but she wanted _out_. She wanted to go home. She'd been depressed ever since she got here, and she knew that she wouldn't get over this feeling until she was far away from this town.

She just hoped she'd be up to performing the ceremony. Casting spells while you were sick didn't always affect the potency of the spells, but it made casting them a lot harder. She would be required to put as much power as she could possibly muster into the Magical Fusion, and if _she_ couldn't do it, there was no one here that could.

_'Maybe I can try healing myself before the ceremony.'_ She didn't think it would work; there were no healing spells capable of healing a broken heart, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

There was a knock on the door that made Amelia jump a little. She groaned to herself, it was probably the Mayor come to check on her for the umpteen millionth time. She wished he'd just leave her alone. He was taking all this way too seriously.

"Who is it?" she called out without moving from her bed, or even opening her eyes. There was a short pause behind the door, most likely the Mayor was trying to think of something new to say to her. But when the voice finally came through the door, she was surprised to find it _wasn't_ Mayor Ruulin.

"Amelia?"

It was Zelgadis! Her eyes shot open and she looked towards the door.

"Amelia, I heard you were sick. May I come in?"

He was the last person she wanted to talk to right now! "I'm fine, Zelgadis-san. It's just a stomach ache." She tried to sound as strong as she could, but she knew the sickly weakness in her voice shined through.

"May I come in?" he was a little more insistent this time, and Amelia groaned. She really should turn him away; his presence here could only make things worse for her. Despite her own mental protests, she found herself crawling out of her bed and heading for the door.

The door opened slowly, and Zelgadis couldn't help but gasp as he looked at Amelia. He'd heard she was sick, but one look at her pale face and unkempt hair and there was no doubt, "Amelia, what happened to you?"

"I caught the flu," she said, in a much harsher voice than she meant. Seeing him, standing before her and staring at her with shocked concern made her heart ache for him. It was all the more reason she didn't want him here right now.

"Amelia," he looked down at the floor, finding it far easier to look at than the pained expression that crossed her face. "Look, I know you probably hate me right now, and I can't really blame you, but could we just talk for a minute?" he swallowed and forced himself to look at her again. "Please?"

She stared at him a moment, wanting to turn him away, but she already knew she couldn't. She simply nodded and walked back to her bed, leaving the door open so Zelgadis could step inside. She didn't turn to look at him as she walked over to her bed, leaning on one of the posts there.

Silence stretched between them for several moments. Zelgadis turned around and shut her door, not wanting the mayor or his servants to listen in. He turned back to her, but she hadn't moved. Rubbing the back of his head nervously, he attempted to sort through the words he wanted to say to her.

"Um, how are you feeling, Amelia?" He wasn't sure that was a good way to start a conversation, but what else was he supposed to say?

She snorted, rolling her eyes, "I've been better, Zelgadis-san."

Guess it wasn't a good way to start. "Oh, well, um, I…"

"Right now my head hurts, my stomach hurts, and I'm miserable" she continued, bitterness and sarcasm emphasizing every word. "How are you?"

He cringed, "I guess I deserved that."

Amelia fumed, but then let her anger out in a long sigh, bowing her head shamefully. "I'm sorry, Zelgadis-san. I just…haven't been feeling like myself lately."

"Don't apologize, Amelia. I think I understand," he approached her slowly, walking around so he could see her face. She was still staring at the floor, refusing to look up at him, but she looked so very fragile standing there. He had to use all of his willpower to resist the urge to reach out and hold her. "I came here to see if you were alright and…" he hesitated, licking his lips before continuing. "I came here to apologize for that night in the cave. I shouldn't have kissed you. I'm still not sure what came over me back there, but it shouldn't have happened."

She clenched her fists, her eyes growing dark and cold. "No, I suppose it shouldn't have," she shot back. "Duuchesney-san would be furious if she knew."

"You have no idea," he gave a half-laugh, but stopped and cleared his throat when Amelia didn't react. He never was very good at jokes. "Anyway, I'd like to think we're still friends, Amelia. You know that if you need anything, anything at all from me, you have only to ask."

She didn't say anything, but continued to stare at the floor. Taking that as the answer to his proposal, he turned to leave.

He was almost to the door when Amelia spoke again, "I would like to ask you one thing, Zelgadis-san."

He stopped, turning back to the Princess. She still wasn't looking at him, "Sure? What is it?"

"Did you choose Duuchesney-san over me because you love her more," she lifted her head up, her eyes boring into his, "or was it because she's here in Nullin along with your cure?"

He was taken back by her question and just stared at her in shock. Then his eyes went equally dark, "What are you implying?"

"I know you, Zelgadis-san!" she said with uncharacteristic bitterness. "I know that you would do anything for your humanity. Making deals with Dark Lords, traveling half-way across the world, destroying temples and libraries to gain entrance. Not to mention helping the kingdom of Xoana kidnap _me_ , just because they promised you a cure."

"Xoana?" Zelgadis turned a curious eye to Amelia. "If memory serves, you enjoyed that whole scenario."

"That's beside the point," she snapped at him, although a slight blush crept across her face. "My point, Zelgadis-san," she continued, regaining her composure, "is that you'd sell your own soul to be rid of your chimera body. So I ask you again; did you chose Duuchesney-san because of your cure or not?"

Now it was Zelgadis' turn to clench his first in anger, "What, you think I _don't_ love her? Is that it? Do you think I love you more, but I'm with Duuchesney because of my cure?"

"Well, I'd prefer to think that then to think you kissed me just for thrills," she shot back. It was becoming harder and harder for her to hold back the tears in her eyes. "You made me believe you were in love with me back there, and then you run back to that…that bandit-woman a few days later! What was I suppose to think?"

"I apologized for that, didn't I? What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to admit to me that your choice had nothing to do with that bandit-woman! You chose your cure over me!"

"My choice had nothing to do with _you_!" he snapped, his temper getting the better of him.

"You're lying!" now she couldn't hold back any longer and a painful sob racked her body. "You loved this stupid, human body of yours more than you loved me, and that's why you're staying here!" She couldn't stop crying. She wanted him to see her angry. She wanted to scream until he could see the terrible things he'd done to her. She didn't want him to see her pain. She didn't want him to see her cry. She turned her face away, but she couldn't stop the tears, no matter how hard she tried. The pain overwhelmed her anger, and all she could do was sink to the floor and sob.

Zelgadis said nothing as he watched her cry. He didn't expect her to change moods like this, and so quickly! He was all geared up to argue with her, he could do that with some skill. But he was at a complete loss on what to do with a sobbing female.

She cried for several minutes, but Zelgadis never said anything. She didn't dare look at him now, not with her tear stained face. It was humiliating. She wanted to let him know her pain, but not like this!

She heard movement behind her, and could feel Zelgadis move in front of her, till he stood beside her bed. He reached his hand out, cupping her chin and lifting her face up to meet his eyes. She wanted to pull away, she didn't want him to see her face, stained with tears, but she didn't feel like fighting him.

"Amelia, please try to understand," he began, looking deep into her blue eyes and placing his hand on her shoulder. "I care about you, honest I do, but how I feel doesn't matter! As long as I'm a chimera, I can't be with _you_. I can't be with anybody."

"Why not?" she choked out. "I don't care if you're a human or a chimera, Zelgadis-san! I didn't fall in love with your skin; I fell in love with _you_. I love you!"

There it was, she'd said it, straight up and unmistakable. She loved him, and she couldn't deny it to herself. She didn't expect him to return those words to her, of course, which was fortunate, since he didn't.

"I know that," his voice was soothing and gentle, but unwavering. "You don't know how much it means to me to know that, but it's not enough, Amelia. How do you think the people of Seyruun would react to their beloved Princess marrying someone like me? What would the other kingdoms think? What would your father think?"

"My father likes you!" she snapped out, jerking her head out of his hand. "And don't you think I'd know my own people better than you? They love and accept my father as their leader, despite his appearance, and they can learn to accept you too!"

"Your father doesn't look like a monster!" he snapped back irritably.

Amelia smirked, "Some people think he does."

Zelgadis started to say something, but stopped with a defeated sigh. She had him there. He stood up, turning away from her. "Yes, well, it still doesn't change the fact that I can't be normal if I leave this place, Amelia. You know that this is what I've wanted since I was first transformed into a chimera. I can't just walk away from it."

Amelia frowned again and turned away from him. "Yes, I know. You have your priorities."

"Exactly!" He was relieved; she was finally starting to understand!

"And your friends are not among them," she spat.

Okay, so she didn't understand, "Amelia, that's not fair! You and all of my friends are very important to me!"

"But your cure always came before us," her voice was calm, but he could still sense the pain behind them.

Zelgadis didn't answer her. How could he? Considering his past actions, he could never convince her otherwise. He only traveled with them when they agreed to help him find his cure. How many times had he put his cure before his friends?

While his friends, especially Amelia, were the opposite. Except in extreme circumstances, they'd been known to put their personal interests aside to help _him_ find his cure. Why? Because if they didn't, he'd run off on his own to find it. For reasons he couldn't fathom, they _wanted_ to travel with him.

He caught movement from her direction, and turned his head slightly so he could see Amelia struggling to get up. She was weak, it was painfully obvious, and her body was shaking.

"Amelia, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I'm just tired is all," she grabbed the post of her bed, struggling to get up, but her grip slipped and she collapsed to the ground.

Zel's heart leapt into his throat and he knelt down, grasping her shoulders so she wouldn't fall further. Upon touching her, he could tell she had a horrible fever, and her skin was clammy to the touch. "Like hell you're alright, you need a healer!"

"There are no healers here," she said as she attempted to get up again.

"They have doctors here. They don't know magic, but their very skilled in herbs and remedies. Let me take you to one of them, please."

She shook her head, but that slight movement made her stomach churn and she grabbed her mouth to keep from throwing up.

"I don't care what you say, Amelia. I'm taking you to a doctor right now!"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder protectively, helping her to stand. She wanted to protest, but she was afraid to open her mouth for fear of…

It was too late. Her stomach heaved and she collapsed to the ground vomiting on the beautiful, white carpet floor. Zelgadis kept his hold on her, grimacing with worry as he felt her body heave. He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly, prepared to lift her to her feet again, but he stopped when he looked down at the carpet, gasping at the sight before him.

Amelia opened her eyes slightly and her eyes went wide. The carpet was now a crimson red, stained with blood! _Her_ blood! She touched her hand to her mouth, and was horrified to find blood there too. _Blood!_ She was vomiting blood!

"Zelgadis-san!" it came out in a gasp, a cry for help; her voice strained with fear. This was far worse than even she thought. "What's happening…what's happening to me?"

"Amelia, don't move," he said as he pulled her too him in a comforting embrace. "I'll carry you there, just stay calm."

She said nothing; words couldn't come to her mouth. Her body was on fire with pain and fever, and the coppery taste of her own blood was still on her lips. She could only lean against Zelgadis as he prepared to lift her. She didn't remember anything after that.

"AMELIA!"

* * *

Zelgadis' cry brought the Mayor and a couple of servants charging into the room. The sight before them brought horror to all of their faces, a large blood stain on the floor, and Zelgadis cradling an unconscious Amelia.

"What did you do?" the Mayor growled as he looked at Zelgadis.

Zelgadis ignored the accusation, "Somebody get a doctor, NOW!"

One of the servants took off running down the hall as the Mayor entered the room. His accusing glare was gone now as comprehension slowly dawned on his face. "What happened here? What's wrong?"

"She just threw-up," Zelgadis motioned towards the blood on the ground, "and then collapsed." He brought his ear down to her lips to listen for breathing, and was relieved to find she was still alive. Her breath was very ragged and shallow however. "We have to get her to a doctor and fast!"

The Mayor gulped as he looked down at the unconscious form of Amelia, "She vomited blood…Oh God, this can't be happening again. Not again."

That got Zel's attention, and he stared at the Mayor in alarm. _'Again?'_ "What do you mean 'again?' This has happened before?"

The Mayor wasn't paying attention to Zelgadis, "It's too soon! It wasn't supposed to take hold this quickly. It's much too soon!"

"MAYOR!" Zelgadis growled. He wanted to reach out and grab the portly man and shake him, but he didn't want to let Amelia go.

The Mayor shook his head, tears coming to his eyes as he looked at Zelgadis, "This is what happened to the last White Mage-sama! He got sick this way, too!"

"The last white mage? You mean the Fifth Couple?"

"No," he choked out, putting a hand on Amelia's fevered brow. "The White Mage-sama that was here several months ago. Amelia was to replace him after he died, but it took well over a month for him to get to this point! How did she get so sick so quickly?"

The Mayor was shaking with fear. Zelgadis gripped Amelia tightly, trying to keep his temper in check, "You knew! You knew about this and never said anything?"

Mayor Ruulin looked up at Zelgadis in shock, "I didn't know she would get sick like this, too, Zelgadis-san. If I had known, I would have taken the necessary precautions! It's the day of the ceremony and we're about to lose our White Mage-sama. If we don't do something to help her, this city is doomed!"

"To hell with the damn city!" he was practically screaming at the Mayor, but he didn't have time to argue with the Mayor. Amelia was dying and he had to do something. He had to save her.

But the doctors here failed to save the last White Mage-sama, how could they possibly save her? He gazed down at her still form, taking in the sickly white skin and the touch of blood on her mouth. It was happening all over again, more than once he had sat back and watched her, dying, unable to do anything to stop it…

NO! He wouldn't let that happen, not when he _could_ save her this time. She needed a healing spell, and she needed it _now_. And he knew of only one person in this town that could cast _Recovery_.

He stood up, picking Amelia up in his arms. She was heavier now than he remembered, and he struggled awkwardly with her weight. It was yet another draw back to being human again, but it didn't matter now. In order to cast a healing spell he had to get out of Nullin. He had to get out of the anti-magic shield.

"Hey, where are you going? Zelgadis-san the doctor hasn't…" he ignored the Mayor's protests and he ran out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the Mayor's house as fast as his legs would carry him. He had to hurry. He could feel her life slipping away even as he held her. He had to hurry!

He ran down the streets of Nullin, praying to whatever God, Dark Lord, or Mazoku might listen to him right now. Somebody, anybody, just don't let Amelia die! He needed her! He wasn't sure why, but he needed her and he just didn't know what he would do if he lost her.

He came upon the border, the shield wavering and taunting him as he looked at it. He'd have to go through the shield again. He'd have to go through that pain if he wanted to save her. He slowed his pace, cursing his fate at having to leave the shield just to cast a simple recovery spell. But he had no choice.

He carefully placed Amelia down on the ground, making sure her head and shoulders were outside the shield. Then, without hesitation, he leaped through the shield, crying out in pain as his chimera body took over again. He couldn't wait for the pain to subside, however. With his skin still burning from the transformation, he turned around, grabbing Amelia's shoulders and pulling her through the rest of the way. He then cradled her in his left arm, supporting her in his lap as he pulled his other arm free.

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down so he could cast the spell, letting his hand hover just above her chest, he began.

His hand began to glow with the _Recovery_ spell, and he could feel the healing power began to knit together Amelia's damaged flesh. But it wasn't enough. He knew only a very simple healing spell, best used on minor injuries, but Amelia was injured all over, as though the disease had been eating her from the inside out. Her life was slipping away faster than Zelgadis could restore it.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he continued to cast the spell, knowing it was pointless. He didn't know what else to do! He couldn't let Amelia die, no matter what! Gritting his teeth, he continued the _Recovery_ spell, hoping to buy himself some time to think.

Nothing came to mind. There was no one else in town capable of casting _Recovery_. Maybe the doctors could help, but he'd left before they could even look at her. And if he ran back to get them now, she'd die! He cursed himself for running away so quickly. He should have waited and brought the doctors with him. _'Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!'_

He was so intent on casting his spell and berating himself, that he didn't notice the sound of approaching footsteps. A set of brown shoes and dark pants stepped into his view and stopped in front of him, waiting to be noticed. Still casting the spell he looked up, and met the lavender eyes of the Mazoku priest.

Zelgadis said nothing, and the two just stared at each other. Zelgadis was too consumed with grief to be angry at Xellos, and the Mazoku had a concerned expression on his face as he looked at the chimera, the kind of expression you rarely saw from him.

Xellos was the first to look away, gazing down at the crippled form of Amelia. He knelt down in front of her, putting his hand to her head as though checking for a fever. His eyes narrowed as his suspicions were confirmed.

"I thought I'd successfully prevented this," the Mazoku stated as he removed his hand from her head, clicking his tongue in concern. "This is not good. Looks like I'll have to rethink my strategy."

Zelgadis heard the words, but they refused to register in his mind. "Can you help her Xellos?" his voice was pleading. He couldn't believe he was asking a Mazoku to save her, but he was completely out of options.

It was a stupid question actually; chances are Xellos _could_ save her. The real question was _would_ he?

"Stop the spell, Zelgadis-san, your not helping her," his tone was so serious that you wouldn't know this was the loopy trickster everyone was so familiar with. He stopped casting the spell and watched as Xellos reached into the sack that hung from his shoulder. It wasn't long before Xellos pulled out a small, gold ring. "Put this on."

Zelgadis took the ring, looking at it curiously. It was a simple gold band set with a blue stone, with the engraving of a dragon on it.

"What is this?"

"Put it on."

Xellos' abrupt response put Zelgadis off guard for a moment, before he growled in anger. The Mazoku was right, however, he didn't have time to argue and so, shifting Amelia in his lap so he could free his hand, he slipped the ring onto his right casting hand.

"Now," Xellos continued, "activate the ring by reciting this spell: _'Lord of Light that shines in the Heavens above! I call upon you! Grant me all the power that you possess_!' Then cast your _Recovery_ spell on her using your ring hand."

"Amplification Magic from Cepheid?" That could work! He quickly readjusted his position, holding Amelia close with one hand while he prepared a healing spell once again.

" _Lord of Light that shines in the Heavens above! I call upon you! Grant me all the power that you possess!_ " The ring on his finger glowed softly, and Zelgadis was so relieved, he almost forgot to cast recovery. Almost…

" _Healing power flowing whi_..." he hadn't even finished casting the spell when a brilliant light engulfed his hand, and then engulfed Amelia. He gasped, at the intensity of what was normally so simple a spell. The ring had turned his simple _Recovery_ spell into the equivalent of a _Resurrection_ spell.

Tears of relief blurred his vision as he continued to cast the spell. It was working! Her life had stopped slipping away and he could feel her body repairing itself beneath is hand. It was working! She was going to be okay.

Zelgadis wasn't sure just how long he sat there casting the spell, an hour maybe? He was exhausted, but he continued the spell, until he felt the last bit of Amelia's body mend, and she lay in his arms fully healed. Letting out a long breath that he didn't know he was holding, he let the spell subside and looked at her.

Color had returned to her face, and the blood around her mouth was gone. Her breathing was steady as well, and he saw her eyes flutter as she stirred, regaining consciousness. ' _Thank Goodness,'_ he thought to himself, brushing a stray hair out of her face. _'Thank you, Cepheid...'_

Her eyes opened a crack, but just before she awoke, he saw Xellos reach his hand out, gently touching the side of her neck. In an instant her eyes closed, and her head lolled to the side as she fell unconscious once again.

Zelgadis shook her slightly, but she was out cold, "What did you do that for?"

"She needs her rest," Xellos answered calmly. "And now that that little business is taken care of, could I have the ring back please?"

Zelgadis hesitated glancing down at the ring on his finger. Xellos merely smirked, "You thinking of stealing it from me, Zelgadis-san?"

Zelgadis looked back at the priest again, before reaching his hand up to pull the ring off. He hated to do it; hated doing anything Xellos wanted, but the Mazoku had just saved Amelia's life. It would be a stain on his honor to deny him the ring after that.

"Just where did you get that ring anyway?" he asked as he handed it back to him.

Xellos took the ring and stood up, "What, you didn't recognize it?" he chuckled, holding it up to the light. "No, I suppose you wouldn't. This is White Mage-sama's ring for the Fusion ceremony."

"The…what are _you_ doing with it?" he growled, wishing he had kept the ring.

"I was just keeping it safe," Xellos answered, putting the ring back in his belt pack.

"Safe from what?"

"I'm afraid that must remain a secret," he responded with cocky grin.

The chimera said nothing, merely narrowed his eyes at the priest. It was pointless fighting with the Mazoku, and he had more important matters to attend to than the white ring. Carefully placing both arms under Amelia to support her unconscious form and shifted his legs beneath him for support, he began to pick her up.

"Where are you going?" Xellos asked, his interest peaked.

"You said so yourself, she needs rest. So I'm taking her back to her room," he answered as he prepared to stand up.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Zelgadis stopped in a half-kneeling position, and looked up at Xellos suspiciously, "Why not?"

"She'll just get sick again, Zelgadis-san," he answered calmly. "I suggest we take her to your little hiding spot and let her rest there."

"My hiding…" his eyes narrowed, and he rested on the ground again, still clutching Amelia to him. "It's the anti-magic shield around Nullin, isn't it? That's what made her sick!"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Xellos revealed. "So let's head back to your place so she can get some rest. She has to recover fully before she can perform the ceremony tonight."

"Not yet," Zelgadis glared. "First tell me why the shield made her so sick!"

Xellos smirked, "I'm surprised you haven't figured that out already, considering all the research you've been doing."

"Nothing I've found out suggested Amelia might grow sick and almost die after spending only a week here," he snapped back. "What is happening in this place, Xellos? Why did the last White Mage-sama die and why did it almost kill Amelia? And don't you dare tell me it's a secret!"

Xellos dropped the smile and opened his eyes to stare seriously at the chimera. "Zelgadis-san, why don't you hand her over to me, and I'll take her to the cave to get some re…"

"Like _hell_ ," he growled, clutching the Princess to him possessively. "You answer my question, Xellos. I'm not letting her go until you do!"

Now Xellos was agitated, "I didn't expect her to get sick this quickly either," the Mazoku fumed. "And all _you_ need to know is that she must stay outside of Nullin until the shield goes down. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to take any more chances with her. She's much too important to me right now."

"Important to _you_ ," Zelgadis growled. "She's nothing more than a pawn to you, but she's _my_ friend! Something here hurt her and I want to know what!"

"You don't need to know that," Xellos' voice was cold and impatient, but it revealed nothing, as usual.

"Damn it, Xellos, I _do_ need to know! Amelia almost died today," he choked on the words, but continued. "So I think I have every right to know why."

"The shield around Nullin is making her sick, Zelgadis-san. I thought I made that clear already."

Zel's frustration was reaching its peak, "But _why_ is it making her sick?"

Xellos straightened his posture, glaring down at the chimera. The Mazoku's eyes were so intense when he stared, that Zelgadis finally looked away, turning his attention to the woman in his arms. "I guess you're really not going to tell me, are you Xellos?"

"You know too much as it is," he answered in that same, cold tone. Zelgadis was still looking towards Amelia, so he didn't notice Xellos look past the chimera at something behind him. A slight smirk came across his boyish face.

"I swear, Xellos," Zelgadis whispered, just loud enough for the priest to here, "if anything happens to Amelia…"

"Hand her over!" the priest interrupted in a booming voice, and Zelgadis practically jumped from the sudden change in tone, staring up at the Mazoku. Xellos had taken a step back, holding his staff up in preparation for battle and glaring down at the chimera. "Release her, Chimera. I will not ask you again."

Something in the Mazoku's tone was bothering Zelgadis. It was as though Xellos was taking a heroic stance, instead of the devious one he was so well known for, "Why should I?"

"Just hand her over peacefully and I won't have to kill you," he answered, dodging the question yet again.

Zelgadis was still confused by his words, but the priest's battle posture left nothing in doubt. He was going to attack if Zelgadis did not comply with his demands. There was no mistaking that. But Xellos was a fool if he thought he would give in that easily.

"I know you need Amelia to cast Magical Fusion tonight, Xellos," he said, refusing to let the priest stare him down this time. "I know you won't risk attacking me if it means hurting her, so your threats are meaningless."

"Ah, so that's your game, is it?" Xellos smirked, taking another step back and relaxing his battle posture. "Then I guess I'll have to take a slightly…different approach."

Zelgadis started to say something, when he heard it. If he had been human, he would have missed it entirely; that subtle, musical hum a sword makes when it is drawn from its sheath. A frightening sound that was coming from directly behind him.

The chimera leapt into the air, using instant _Levitation_ just as the sword came swinging down where he sat. He twisted around to see who had attacked him, but he came face to face with Xellos instead. The Mazoku had come after him in mid-air, and was grinning at him viciously.

"I warned you," he whispered, before bringing his staff up and smacking Zelgadis on the side of the head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 10: The Secrets of Magical Fusion  
> Think you know the truth behind Nullin's shield? Here's you're chance to find out! Magical Fusion Revealed!


	10. The Secrets of Magical Fusion

_The staff connected with loud cracking sound and Zelgadis fell from the sky in a daze. He hit the ground face first, sliding several feet before stopping in a painful heap. It was only then, while trying to stand up, that he realized that he'd dropped Amelia._

_He spun around quickly, sitting up to get a better look, but he didn't have to look very far. The Mazoku was floating in the air above him, grinning down at the chimera while holding the still unconscious Amelia in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder._

_Another voice, the voice of his attacker, spoke up, "Black Mage-sama, take the Princess and get out of here! I'll take care of him!"_

_The voice was _very_ familiar to him, and he knew who it was before he turned to look, his stomach leaping into his throat._

_"Thank you, Duuchesney-san," Xellos answered with a sneer, "your timing was all too perfect." He sent one last, cocky smirk at the shocked chimera before he vanished, taking Amelia with him._

_" _NO_!" Zelgadis cried, struggling to stand up from his position. His senses still did not fully comprehend what was going on, and his eyes hadn't left the sky since seeing Xellos disappear with Amelia._

_But it didn't stay there long. Duuchesney attacked at that moment, and his instincts took over, forcing him to draw his own sword and stop the blow. Their swords came together with a deafening clang, and Zelgadis could only stare in horror at the determined bandit in front of him._

_"Duu-chan, what are you doing?" he could hear his voice crack in fear, but Duuchesney did not respond. She instead answered by bringing her second weapon around, swinging it towards his gut and forcing him to jump back and away to dodge it. She spun around, striking out with her main weapon towards his head, and Zel was forced to parry it once again. "Duu-chan, please, stop this!"_

_"You're tricks won't work on me, you filthy Mazoku!" she finally snarled, swinging her sword again, only to be blocked by his. "Save your breath."_

_"Mazoku?" he was still stunned. He had temporarily forgotten that he wasn't human anymore, but it took only a moment for him to realize what was going on. It was thanks to his own stupidity that she had never seen him as a chimera before. "No, Duu-chan, you don't understand! It's me, Zelgadis, I swear."_

_"Shut up and die!"_

_Three swords, two from the bandit and one from the chimera, continued to clash in a blur of motion that could make any viewer dizzy just watching. With no magical power to their credit, Nullin made up for it with the skill of their warriors, and Duuchesney had earned her reputation as the greatest among them._

_Zelgadis had fought her before, so he knew what to expect. Her skill with two-blades was unparalleled, and she'd very likely give Gourry a run for his money. Her speed was something to behold as well. It took all of his concentration to continue blocking both weapons with his one._

_For the most part, Zelgadis was left on the defensive, but that didn't mean she necessarily had the advantage. When he'd fought her as a human, she could beat him with ease, but Zelgadis was a chimera now. With his demonic speed, he was able to block each of her blows, and even get in a few of his own, although she deftly blocked each one. She may have had two weapons, but Zel's weapon had greater reach, so she had to be careful when getting in close enough to strike._

_Of course, that wasn't the chimera's only advantage._

_With Duuchesney's next swing, Zelgadis jumped back, but did not hit the ground. " _Levitation_!" Zelgadis flew straight up into the air, pulling himself far out of her reach. She gazed up at his floating form and snarled._

_"Come down here, you coward! Fight me like a true warrior!"_

_"Duu-chan, just listen to me," he still had his weapon in hand, but he made no move to attack. He just wanted to tell her the truth! "Please, I'm not a Mazo…"_

_A throwing dagger came flying towards him. He knew she had them, but he didn't even see her reach for it. He quickly brought his hand up, letting the dagger strike his stone skin harmlessly. He put his hand down, just in time to see Duuchesney run towards a tree. She then leaped up, kicked the tree with her legs, and soared straight at Zelgadis._

_The only other person he had ever seen make a move like that was Gourry, so it caught him off guard when she rammed right into him in mid-air. He fell with an "umph," landing on the hard ground with Duuchesney on top of him, and her sword imbedded in his shoulder._

_Zelgadis screamed in pain, and using his leg he pushed her off of him. She left willingly, but took her weapon with her, and was rewarded with another scream of pain from her opponent._

_The chimera stood up, clutching his shoulder as he looked at her with a mixture of awe, shock, and pain. He brought his hand up to his face to look. He was bleeding, but _how_? Looking at her weapon, now stained with his blood, he noticed for the first time it was different from the one she normally used._

_"Where the hell did you get that thing?" he cursed, clutching his shoulder once again._

_"A gift from Black Mage-sama," she answered with a smirk. "He warned me that you'd be immune to normal swords, so he gave me this."_

_He cursed to himself as he began a healing spell. "Xellos!" he whispered to himself, "I swear I'll get you for this!"_

* * *

_Xellos reappeared just outside of Zelgadis' cave and entered, taking a quick glance around the room before laying Amelia down on the cot. He watched as she rolled over on the cot with a sigh, making herself comfortable, and he smiled. _'Make sure to get plenty of rest, Amelia-chan,'_ he thought with a smirk. _'You'll need to be fully recovered by tonight.'__

_He walked over to the paperwork on Zel's desk, sitting himself down and flipping through them casually. The chimera really had been doing his homework. He saw all kinds of books and documents on the Fusion ceremony, particularly the legend of the Fusion Couples throughout the years._

_He found plenty of information on couples One through Four, which wasn't surprising, but he had thus far found nothing on the Fifth Couple. "That's good, at least," the Mazoku said to himself. "But it doesn't change the fact that he knows far more than I anticipated in such a short time. I suppose with all the research he's done on his cure, he's become very efficient."_

_Xellos continued to invade Zelgadis' notes and journals, trying to get an idea of just what all he knew. The chimera knew the shield was damaging magic items, very specific ones, although he didn't yet know which ones. Now he also knew that both Amelia and the original white mage had grown sick, and Xellos had reluctantly informed him it was the shields fault for that as well._

_Xellos leaned back in his chair, weighing his options and thinking through his plans. If something, _anything_ , went wrong, he made sure he had multiple back up plans to compensate. Beastmaster-sama would have his head if he didn't complete the Fusion ceremony as ordered, so he had to be prepared for every possibility. Even so, this assignment was supposed to be a simple one: come in, perform the ceremony, and leave. No one need know why he was there, he'd just do as he was ordered and that was that._

_He wasn't surprised when the first White Mage-sama died, and it changed his plans very little. Hearing about his replacement from Seyruun changed his plans considerably, however. Amelia knew he was a Mazoku, ruining his original plan of deception. Not only that, but getting Amelia involved meant getting Zelgadis involved, and there was no way Xellos could convince the paranoid chimera that his intentions were harmless. And Zelgadis was more than capable of spoiling everything._

_His first plan worked like a charm. The Mazoku smirked to himself; humans put so much faith in love, not realizing how easy it was to manipulate. As soon as he interrupted their lovey-dovey moment with his speech on fidelity, Zelgadis lost interest in the Princess enough to cease his research. The chimera had learned nothing new since that day._

_Xellos had it all planned so perfectly, but he knew only too well that the ever-present Hand of Chaos was capable of destroying even the best plans. He expected Amelia would get sick, but he did not anticipate her coming this close to death so soon. This had reinforced the chimera's interest in her well-fare, and would thus reinforce his interest in Xellos' plans for her. He had even been forced to use Duuchesney a lot sooner than he had wanted to. Zelgadis was no fool; he was certain to discover the truth before the ceremony was to take place, and Xellos had to be prepared._

_He didn't want to use his trump card if he didn't have to…_

* * *

_Duuchesney brought her new weapon up to bear, crouching slightly before charging full on. Zelgadis was forced to cease his healing spell to block her attacks yet again, ignoring the horrible pain in his injured shoulder. The short reprieve had given him a chance to study the bandit woman and her new weapon. He recognized the other sword, meaning she only had one enchanted blade, so he need only concentrate on keeping the magical weapon from lopping his head off._

_The musical sound of steal striking against steel seemed to echo against the trees of the forest. Zelgadis brought his sword up in the air to block Duuchesney's downward swing, giving her plenty of opportunity to swing at his open midsection with the other. The chimera ignored it, however, as the second blade sliced through his clothing but skidded harmlessly off of his stone skin. He instead, twisted his blade, throwing the enchanted blade off balance and swung his sword around, striking Duuchesney in the shoulder with the flat side of his blade. Duuchesney fell to the ground, unable to keep her balance against his chimera strength, but she rolled away and stood back up, ready to face her opponent once more._

_Zelgadis gritted his teeth, bringing his sword up once again. He could have easily taken her out with that last blow, but the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He needed to find Xellos and Amelia, and he simply didn't have time to mess around. He had to end this without hurting her, and he knew of one spell that could do just that._

_Duuchesney charged him again, and he jumped into the air, reciting a quick _Levitation_ spell to bring him higher. Before Duuchesney could react, Zelgadis pulled a small dagger out of his tunic and threw it._

_She saw the dagger coming a mile away, and easily dodged it, jumping back a short ways to let the dagger strike the ground in front of her harmlessly. She grinned as she brought her weapons to bear, preparing to leap into the air from her crouched position. It didn't take long, however, to discover she couldn't move._

_"What the hell!" she cursed as she tried to move again, but she was stuck. She could move her upper body, but her legs were frozen in a crouched position, as if something was holding her down. "What the hell did you do to me?"_

_Zelgadis looked on with genuine sympathy. Duuchesney was very ignorant of magic, and so he knew she'd never figure out that the dagger, stuck in the shadow she cast before her, was trapping her. She would be unable to move until he returned to release her._

_"I'm sorry, Duu-chan," he said as he turned around. "I will come back for you, I promise," and with that said, he flew towards his hide-out, leaving a very angry and cursing bandit-woman behind._

* * *

_Xellos continued to leaf through the papers, stealing quick glances towards the sleeping Princess as he weighed his options._

_If push came to shove, he could, maybe, get another white mage. There were few, however, as powerful as Amelia. Let's see, there was Lina's friend, what was her name, Sylphiel? She was powerful enough, but Xellos wasn't really sure where she was. Even with his sources, finding one human among so many was like searching for a specific fish in the ocean. He kept track of Lina and the others, as well as a few other higher ups, but it would take way too long to find Sylphiel._

_He knew where Filia, the golden dragon, was, but there way no way he could use her. With her knowledge of Holy Magic, she was actually _too_ powerful for his needs. Not to mention, he thought with a sweat-drop, he'd have a hell of a time convincing her to perform Magical Fusion with _him_._

_No, Amelia was still his best option. If he couldn't use her, he'd have to take drastic measures to complete his task, and the Dark Lords would _not_ be happy. His best bet right now was to keep Zelgadis and Amelia apart until the ceremony was over. If he could do that, he could still complete his mission. If not, well he still had a few last minute tricks up his sleeve._

_Speaking of the devil, Xellos sensed the approach of the chimera even now. He smirked, picking up his staff from the edge of the desk. Duuchesney had distracted the chimera longer than he had expected, but he knew it wouldn't last long._

_He walked over the cot, putting his hands under the sleeping Princess and picking her up with ease. "Time to leave, Amelia-chan. I can't let Zelgadis-san take you away from me. Not yet."_

* * *

_Zelgadis arrived at his hide-out too late. Amelia and Xellos were long gone. He cursed under his breath as he flew back. It was obvious the Mazoku had been at his hide-out, and had even gone through his things, but he wasn't there now._

_He knew Xellos wouldn't bring her back to Nullin until the shield went down, so there was no way of knowing where he had taken her. He would simply have to wait until it was time for the Fusion ceremony to begin and confront him there. And that, of course, would give Xellos even more time to come up with a plan against him._

_But perhaps, this would also give _him_ a little more time to find out what was going on, and come up with a plan of his own._

_His destination was just in front of him, but Zelgadis hesitated, stopping at the edge of the forest clearing and hiding behind one of the trees. He could see Duuchesney, still crouched in the middle of the clearing, one arm supporting her head in the classic pose of ultimate boredom. She was still trapped by the _Shadow Snap_ , and he'd left her sitting in that position for about a half-hour now. She would _not_ be in a good mood when he finally released her._

_Before he could release her, however, she had to know the truth. He'd spent the most intimate moments of his life with her, and now he could very well scare her away forever. But he needed her help. She may be the only ally he had right now. He just had to convince her that he really _was_ the same man she'd known for over a year now._

_He stepped out of the woods, walking towards her with as much confidence as he could muster. She spotted him instantly, and immediately her hands went to her blades._

_"So, you finally came back," she snarled as she brought her weapons up to bear. "Come to finish me off? I assure you, even in this position, it won't be easy!"_

_Zelgadis hesitated, his heart constricting in his chest as he looked at her. Even as helpless as she was, she still had some fire in her, but he so wished that fire wasn't directed towards him. He started walking again, coming just outside of sword's reach. She was completely at his mercy and she knew it. He could see the fear in her eyes, but she wasn't about to give up just yet._

_"Duu-chan, there…there is something I need to tell you before I can release you," get right to the point, that was the best way to handle things. Right?_

_"You can say all you want," she was as defiant as ever, "but I have no intention of listening to a bunch of Mazoku lies."_

_"For starters, I'm not a Mazoku," he shot back at her. "I'm a chimera. Secondly, I have no reason to lie to you, Duu-chan. Don't forget; I could have killed you at any time, so I think I deserve to be heard."_

_She continued to glare at him, staring him down, (or up as the case may be) as best she could, "Why should I? Using magic and tricks the way you did; you have none of the honor that befits a true warrior. How am I supposed to trust you knowing that?"_

_He rolled his eyes, "Duu-chan, you are the lying, stealing bandit leader of the Duchess Army. You are the _last_ person who should be talking about a warriors honor!"_

_"How dare you," she growled, clutching her weapons so tightly her knuckles turned white. "How dare you talk to me like you know me and how dare you call me Duu-chan. No one is allowed to call me that!"_

_"You always let _me_ call you that," he answered, a lump forming in his throat, knowing where this line of questions would lead. He just wasn't ready to reveal himself to her, not now and not like this. But that choice was taken from him, and he had to do this as carefully as possible._

_" _You_? I'd never let anyone call me that, let alone a _demon_. Who do you think you are?"_

_He strolled closer to her, within arms reach, and then crouched down to look her straight in the eye. Her reaction was immediate but predictable, as she brought her weapon up and swung at him._

_He caught it with his bare hand, wincing as the enchanted blade cut into his palm, but he jerked the weapon out of her hand easily and tossed it aside. With a growl of frustration she brought her other weapon up, but he caught this one as well, throwing it far from her just like the other one._

_"Damn you," she cursed. "What kind of games are you playing?"_

_"You know me, Duuchesney," he said, never taking his eyes off of hers. "You've known me for over a year now. You've just never seen me…like this before."_

_He held her eyes with his own, forcing her to look at him with sheer will power. Her look was a mixture of anger and confusion, but she continued to stare at him. _'What was all this nonsense about knowing him? How could I possibly know a Mazo…'__

_Then it hit her! Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped, her breath catching in her throat as she stared. She _did_ know him! The face, sword, clothes, hair style, even the sound of his voice! She knew them all too well, but... _'But…it can't be! That's impossible!'__

_"Ze…Zelgadis?"_

_It couldn't be! He was a _monster_!_

_He sighed, and then nodded, confirming it. Lifting his hand up, he cast a _Lighting_ spell, disenchanting his _Shadow Snap_ , and watched as she fell backwards, crawling away from him a short ways. She stopped once she was out of his reach and simply stared at him in sheer horror._

_"Zelgadis? Zelgadis, what happened?" she stammered, raising one hand towards him. "Who did this to you?"_

_"It's a long story," he answered, turning his eyes away from her. "It doesn't matter who did it, though. This is the real me, Duuchesney, the one I've been hiding from you this whole time."_

_She was only half-listening, still gazing at him in disbelief. She'd never in her entire life seen anything like it! He looked like a demon, yet the features she knew were there. There was no doubt, this was her Zelgadis._

_She clenched her hand into a fist, clutching it to her chest. Her expression had gone from shock to anger instantly and she picked herself up into a more dignified crouching position. "Who did this to you?" her voice was demanding now, and he looked up in surprise. "I swear I'll kill him! I'll make him pay for doing this to you, Zelgadis!"_

_He raised an eyebrow as he stared back, "That would be very difficult, Duu-chan, considering he died about five years ago."_

_"Five years?" the confusion was back. "Wait a minute, I saw you this morning, Zel, and you looked nothing like this."_

_"Duu-chan," his voice was infinitely patient. "Why do you think I refused to leave the shield of Nullin?"_

_She stared at him, her brow creased in thought. It didn't take her long however to relax with the realization of what he was saying._

_"I see," She looked him up and down again, gulping as the truth began to sink in. "So _this_ is what you've been hiding from me this whole time, is it? This is the _real_ you?"_

_"Yes," he answered. He stood up, pacing a little as he spoke. "I've been a chimera for years now, far longer than we've known each other."_

_He was looking at the ground, but he still noticed her stand up and walk towards him. He turned to face her, forcing himself to look her in the eye when she asked the many questions he knew she must have. He did not, however, expect the sudden punch he received in the face, knocking him to the ground with a thud._

_"SON OF A…" Duuchesney cursed, holding her throbbing fist to her soon after the strike. Zel clutched his nose, still feeling the pain as he picked himself up off the ground. He looked up to see Duuchesney rubbing her hand, her face contorted with pain and anger._

_"What did you do that for?" Zelgadis roared, glaring at the bandit woman. She didn't cause any real damage, but that didn't make it hurt any less._

_"That was for lying to me all this time, you bastard!" she snarled back, still clutching her hand to her chest. "And, believe me; it was _supposed_ to hurt you a lot more than it hurt me. Gods, Zelgadis, what the hell are you made of, anyway?"_

_He sat up into a more comfortable sitting position, preparing for a long, difficult talk, "Maybe you should sit down, Duu-chan."_

_Zelgadis told her his story while he healed Duuchesney's hand. He had already told her the story of how he helped Lina defeat Shabranigdo, but before now he had always omitted anything about his being a chimera the whole time. Now he told her about his transformation at the hands of Rezo as "payment" for searching for the Philosopher's stone. This time, he told her everything._

_Despite living in a remote village most of her life, Duuchesney did know of Rezo. She'd heard the stories of his performing miracles and good deeds throughout the land, stories that the majority of the world knew. Few knew the real Rezo, the one who was ready to destroy the whole world just to restore his sight._

_When he finished the story, she cocked her head to the side, letting all he'd said sink in. "Interesting," she said. "So that's why you hated the Red Priest so much. Hard to believe the guy was really such a jerk."_

_Normally she wouldn't have believed someone if they told her such stories, but she was tired of mistrusting Zelgadis only to find he'd been telling the truth. It grew rather annoying after awhile._

_"In any case," Zelgadis said, preparing to change the subject, "I suspect Xellos is either trying to permanently destroy the shield, or he's out to hurt Amelia, and I need you to help me stop him."_

_She nodded, looking past Zelgadis as she pondered. "Zelgadis?" she asked tentatively. "Is Xellos really a Mazoku like you said earlier?"_

_"Yes, he is," was his immediate response. "I know he doesn't look it, and I found it hard to believe at first too, but he's a Mazoku, and a very powerful one. We have to tread lightly if we're going to stop him."_

_"So you're telling me I just helped a Mazoku kidnap the White Mage-sama," she threw her hands in the air in agitation. "Isn't that wonderful."_

_"Don't worry, Duuchesney. Xellos seems determined to perform the fusion ceremony. I'm quite certain wherever he is now, he will be returning here when the shield goes down. We should be able to catch him then."_

_"Do you have a plan?"_

_Zelgadis sighed, leaning back so he could look at the sky. "No, I don't. I just don't have enough information. I don't know what Xellos is up to, and if I just knew that, I could figure out what to do, or if I should even do anything at all._

_"I know only a few strange facts about this whole thing," he continued, staring at the ground as he sorted through the information in his head. "I know that Xellos is determined to be the Black Mage-sama in the upcoming ceremony, he's the only Mazoku capable of entering the shield right now, and that the current shield is making people sick and destroying specific magic items. I don't know if this is all linked or simply strange circumstances."_

_Duuchesney suddenly jumped up and began running towards the shield, "Damn, that reminds me. I completely forgot why I came out here in the first place!"_

_She rushed into the shield, towards a patch of trees, where she knelt down to pick something up. Zelgadis watched curiously as Duuchesney slung a large, black bag onto her shoulder and ran back towards him. The bag appeared to be full of trinkets and other items_

_"I thought about the princess's bracelet, and I decided to go through all of the magical items I've acquired since I became a bandit," she answered as she pulled the bag off of her shoulder and dumped its contents onto the ground in front of the chimera. "I've determined that these are the items that have lost their power. I figured you could tell me what they all have in common, and maybe that will explain everything."_

_Zelgadis looked at the small pile curiously. They were mostly minor magical items, such as protection stones, head bands, rings, and the like. There was a small, child-sized breast-plate in the pile, a coil of rope, and a generic-looking key. In appearance however, these items had nothing in common._

_The protections stones were completely void of the pentagrams and stars that identified them as magical items. Magical items were also known for being warm and having a very distinct but subtle vibration about them, as though they were alive. As he picked each item up to view them, however, he noticed that they were cold and still. You wouldn't know they had ever been magical._

_"I'd have to know what the items did to know what they all had in common," he said to her as he picked up the small breast-plate. "Start with this."_

_Duuchesney smiled fondly as she took the breast-plate from Zelgadis. "This is mine," she said as she caressed it with her hand. "My parents gave it to me when I was a child so I could be safe as they traveled to some of the darker parts of the world. My mother made it herself, and the enchantment on it saved my life on more than one occasion." She took on a angry expression as she set the armor down among the other items. "Now it's just a worthless piece of junk. If I'd known the shield was destroying magic items, I would _never_ have let this piece inside."_

_Zelgadis nodded, but said nothing as he picked up another item from the pile. "What about this," he said as he displayed the key._

_She took it from him, gazing at it knowingly. "This is a skeleton key. We found it could lock and unlock just about anything. Now it's not even a key at all." She tossed it back into the pile, looking back at Zelgadis expectantly._

_The rope was next, "This thing was fun!" she said with a smirk, turning the rope in her hands. "We found out if you threw this rope at someone you were trying to capture, it would glow blue, than rap around them, tying them up with no effort on our part. We used it quite a bit before I locked it up."_

_Zelgadis sifted his hands through the other, more mundane items, "Did any of these other items have unique properties that you knew of?"_

_"Well," she answered as she pointed at one of the white amulets, "I remember this one could create light," she pointed at a small, silver ring with a dark purple gem attached, "you could use this one to put someone to sleep," she pointed at another, red amulet, "and this one could heal minor injuries. Other than that, I'm not sure what the others did."_

_Zelgadis didn't even take time to ponder before breaking into a grin. He shook his head, clenching his fist in front of him. "It should have been so _obvious_! Why didn't I see it sooner?"_

_"See what?" Duuchesney asked. "You know the pattern, don't you?"_

_Zel nodded, turning his attention back to the armor, "Your armor here has…I mean, _had_ a _Valmaceid_ spell on it. It's a rare and expensive enchantment that protects the wearer from the elements, such as fire, earth, air, and water. The rope here was clearly enchanted with _Rafahs Seed_." He turned his attention to the other items, pointing at each dramatically, " _Lock_ , _Lighting_ , _Sleeping_ , and _Recovery_ …their _all_ white magic spells!"_

_Duuchesney raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed, "So the anti-magic shield is destroying white magic items?"_

_"Looks that way," he leaned back again, looking at Duuchesney. "And there's more. You said it was your mother who made that armor for you, right?"_

_She nodded, "That's what she told me."_

_"It takes a very powerful white mage to make armor like that, even child-sized."_

_"I suppose," she spoke softly, gazing at the armor fondly again. "I don't know how powerful my parents were."_

_"Duuchesney," she looked up at him, and he was staring at her with such intensity that it startled her. It was the kind of look he'd get when he'd just discovered some great secret. "Your parents, they both got sick and _died_ here in Nullin, didn't they?"_

_"Yea, what of it," she took a defensive tone. She didn't like where this was heading._

_"So did the last white mage that was here. And Amelia got sick and almost died too!"_

_"Yea, so?"_

_"Duuchesney, don't you see?" he looked like he was ready to leap into the air with excitement and frustration. "This shield is destroying White Magic! It disenchants white magic items, and it is killing powerful white mages! THAT'S the pattern I've been looking for! That's why Amelia became sick!"_

_Duuchesney twisted her face in an expression of clear doubt, "Don't be ridiculous. Nothing in our history has ever mentioned anything about items being disenchanted and mages dying! Don't you think someone would have noticed after 500 years?"_

_"I don't know," he responded, sitting back in contemplation. "Maybe they just didn't see the connection. You have to admit, Duu-chan, you're people are very poorly informed when it comes to magic."_

_"Well, if that's so," she was getting defensive and angry again. "Then how do you explain the rings used in the ceremony? One of them is a white magic ring, so don't you think it would have been destroyed over the years as well? We certainly would have noticed if it stopped working."_

_Zelgadis didn't answer right away, instead sitting back on his haunches to think. She had a valid point. He'd seen the white magic ring for himself, had even used it, so he knew first hand that it was still working. After all, if Xellos hadn't given him the ring, Amelia would have died._

__If Xellos hadn't given him the ring?_ "Xellos has the ring!"_

_"Huh?" His sudden outburst caught her off guard._

_"Xellos," Zelgadis repeated. "Xellos gave me the white magic ring to use on Amelia. He had it in his pouch!"_

_"Xellos has White Mage-sama's ring?" her mind was reeling from all of the revelations. "What is _he_ doing with it?"_

_"Because he _knew_!" Zelgadis answered, clenching his fists in anger. "He knew the shield was destroying white magic items, so he must have taken it to make sure it wasn't destroyed along with them."_

_"Okay, fine, I'll accept that," she answered. "But you still haven't explained to me how this kind of destruction could be going on within the shield all this time, and we never noticed it. We may not know much about magic, Zel, but we're not stupid!"_

_Zelgadis shook his head. "It's not a matter of stupidity, but ignorance. Nullin is a secluded place, Duuchesney. I'm guessing you didn't have enough people coming through to notice something like that."_

_"Well we're certainly not a main tourist attraction," Duuchesney spat back, "But we've had plenty of foreigners come through here. And don't forget, the First and Second couple lived here for years and neither of them complained of any side effects!"_

_She had him there, "You're right, the destruction of white magic seemed to be a more recent effect, like it's only been happening in the last few years." Another thought struck him, "Or the last 100 years..."_

_"One hundred years? You think it has something to do with the Fifth Couple?" she concluded for him._

_"Yea," he responded, biting his lip in frustration, "and I haven't been able to find _any_ information on them. It's as if someone purposefully destroyed all the information, so that no one would find out what really happened."_

_He stood up, gazing at the shield in thought, "If that is true, then this effect was no accident. Someone manipulated Nullin's shield 100 years ago and proceeded to destroy all the evidence. I can't think of any other reason this place would have no record of its most recent fusion ceremony."_

_"If you wanted to know the story of the Fifth Couple, Zelgadis," Duuchesney said. "Why didn't you ask me?"_

_It took only a moment for what Duuchesney said to sink into Zel's busy mind. He turned to her, his eyes widening in shock, "What? _You_ know it?"_

_"Yea," she said, as though it was no big deal. "When I was a kid, an old woman who actually witnessed the event when she was a kid would tell the story. It was one of my favorite stories, nothing like the boring stories of the other Couples. Of course, it's just a silly kid's story, really."_

_Zelgadis knelt down in front of her again, surprising her slightly. He had that intense look in his eyes again, and it made her nervous for some reason._

_"Tell me the story, Duu-chan. I'd like to hear it."_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 11: The Fifth Couple  
> So why is the shield destroying white magic? The answer is with the Fifth Couple...


	11. The Fifth Couple

"I don't see how the story of the Fifth Couple would reveal anything," Duuchesney said, looking at Zelgadis curiously. He seemed a little too anxious to hear a children's story. "The story is more dramatic than the others, but the ceremony was performed the exact same way."

"I won't know unless I hear it," Zelgadis pressed.

"Fine, fine," she leaned back, letting her mind wander back to the old woman who told the story. The old woman, who she knew only as "Granny" had been a mere child at the time of the fusion ceremony 100 years ago. She'd died just a few years before, so Duuchesney had only her own memory to go on.

"Well, I guess the legend actually starts with the Fourth Couple from 200 years ago. You've heard the story I'm sure, how we had a great deal of trouble finding a black mage and a white mage powerful enough to perform the ritual."

Zelgadis nodded, "Yes, the Mayor told me about that, and I found it in my research."

Duuchesney shrugged, "Anyway, having weaker mages perform the ritual was a big mistake, especially since the barrier itself prevented us from performing the ritual again for another 100 years.

"Well, anyway, when the 100 year mark came up again, we were smart enough to make sure to get a couple of mages strong enough to perform the ritual. A couple of strangers who met in Nullin to offer their services."

Duuchesney stretched, trying to remember the story, "Hell, I wish I could tell this story like Granny could, she was so good at it. Well, anyway, the monsters were attacking, and our warriors came to the defense, but during the attack the sorceress, who was to perform the black magic side of the ritual, vanished. They couldn't find her any where, she just up and disappeared, which sent the city into a panic. The anti-magic field was down, and we didn't have a Black Mage-sama.

"Then, a stranger appeared," Duuchesney stopped, and sweat-dropped. "Okay, that sounded cheesy. As I said, Granny told it better."

"Duuchesney," Zel glared. "I don't care how cheesy it sounds, just tell the story!"

"Well, geez, don't be so impatient!" she grumbled. "Anyway, a stranger appeared out of no where. Everyone described the man differently, but my granny said he was very handsome, with long, dark hair, and a cape that flapped like big black wings against the noon day sky. Oh did I mention he flew in? May not be impressive to someone like you, but you have to remember most of the people in this town had never seen magic before. Needless to say everyone was very impressed with the dashing stranger…"

"Duuchesney!"

"Huh? Oh, right, well anyway, he came down from the sky, lifted up his staff, (I mentioned the staff too right?) and pointed it at the monsters. Then with one sweep," she made a gesture of sweeping a two-handed staff down and up again, "Granny would do that, and I loved it!" she whispered. "With that motion he destroyed all of the monsters!"

"And let me guess," Zelgadis interrupted again, a smirk starting to form on his mouth, "with Black Mage-sama gone, the stranger volunteered to be the black mage for the ceremony?"

"Well if you really wanna spoil the story, yea, that's what happened," she answered, more than a little annoyed at his constant interruptions.

"A black mage comes out of no where, destroys all of the monsters, and then volunteers to be the new Black Mage-sama," Zelgadis shook his head knowingly, slamming his fist against the ground. "I knew it! Damn you, Xellos, no wonder you're so set on performing the ceremony!"

"Huh?" Duuchesney didn't even bother to hide her bafflement this time.

"The 'stranger' and Black Mage-sama for the Fifth Couple was _Xellos_!" he clarified.

"That crazy Mazoku?" she looked at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious?"

"Very serious, Duu-chan," he said, looking her straight in the eye. "He once told me he'd performed Magical Fusion before. I thought he was referring to the time he stole a spell from Filia, but now I think he was referring to the Fifth Couple. He was the Black Mage-sama in that ceremony 100 years ago!"

"No way! He'd have to be over 100 years old to do that."

"Try 1000 years," Zelgadis answered without a moment's hesitation. "He's a Mazoku after all, remember?"

"Yea, well there should be a rule against one mage performing the ceremony two centuries in a row!" she answered stubbornly.

"At any rate," he continued, purposefully ignoring her statement. "It would certainly explain why white magic is being destroyed. I'm betting the combination of a Mazoku's power with a human white mage creates this effect. The powers are unbalanced, and so is the outcome."

Zelgadis closed his eyes, shaking his head in wonder. It was all coming together so perfectly now. "A field that destroys white magic, while only suppressing black and shamanist magic. No wonder the Mazoku are so interested in it, something like that would be _very_ valuable in their war against the Gods."

It was not the kind of discovery Zelgadis had expected. He had been certain Xellos planned to somehow destroy the shield and, thus, ruin his chance for a cure. Instead, the Mazoku had come to restore the shield, so, in a way, he was actually here to help Zelgadis regain his cure. Even if it was only a side effect of his real mission, Xellos was here to help him.

Xellos helping him; now _that_ sounded too good to be true.

Duuchesney just stared at him, everything he said slowly sinking in. She'd grown up believing the shield was protecting this town from the Race of Evil, even if she hated the anti-magic effect it had. Yet the Mazoku had outsmarted them, and now the shield was just another tool for them to exploit. Not only that, but this "tool" had murdered her parents and a few others as well. She clenched her jaw and fists, feeling the rage building up within her at the thought. Xellos killed her parents!

Zelgadis was still contemplating his new discover when something to the side caught his eye and he looked towards the border. Something was happening to the anti-magic field. "Duu-chan," he whispered, his voice calm, with just a hint of shock. "The shield!"

Duuchesney looked up, the rage she was feeling temporarily forgotten as she turned her head towards the shield. She stood up next to him, watching as the heat-wave like image of the shield began to fluctuate and thin. Clear holes could be seen through-out the barrier, disappearing and reappearing, and growing larger with each one. The two of them stood there, watching in awe as the shield slowly dissipated, and, in one swift motion, as though a magician had raised his hand and dismissed it in a heart beat, the anti-magic barrier was no more.

Just like that, it was gone. Nullin was suddenly an ordinary town, just as vulnerable to magic as any other city. Xellos would be bringing Amelia back again now, preparing to perform the ceremony to restore the shield once again.

This was it. Time was up and Zelgadis had to make a very difficult choice now. He'd now determined that the shield around Nullin was killing people, that it had, in fact, almost killed Amelia, and was even destroying valuable magical items.

And yet, that same shield was his cure! That shield was the only link he had to his true self, his humanity. If he stopped Xellos from performing the ceremony, he would likely save many innocent lives to come, but he'd remain a chimera, possibly forever.

Zelgadis was a mess of mixed emotions, and he creased his brow in frustration. Things had been so much easier to understand when he worked under the assumption that Xellos would destroy the shield. Now that he knew his true plans, he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to be human; he _needed_ to be human! Few people truly understood how important it was that he be a normal man again. And as much as he hated it, Xellos was now the key to his humanity, just as much as Amelia was.

If he was to stop the ceremony, he had to go now; there was no time left! But did he even want to stop it at all? He could only stand there, indecision eating away at him.

His shoulders relaxed visibly, and he let out the breath he was holding as the choice became clear. _'Let Xellos and Amelia bring the shield back up,'_ he thought as he stared at the unprotected city of Nullin. ' _Things were peaceful here before, and the lives lost were too few to even notice! Let them bring the shield back up.'_

"Zelgadis?"

He blinked and looked towards Duuchesney. She was looking at him now, questioning him with her gaze. His lack of action confused her, "Are we going to go or what?"

He looked at her for only a moment longer, before turning away again. How was he going to explain this to her?

"Zelgadis!" she pressed, turning to face him fully. "That shield was killing people! That shield killed my parents, you said so yourself! Now are we going to stop this Mazoku from bringing it back or not?"

"We can just warn people, can't we?" his voice was quite, uncertain, and he turned back to her, pleading with his eyes. "We could just warn people about the negative effects of the shield and we'd be fine, right?"

"What? Are you crazy?" she couldn't believe what she was hearing! "The shield killed my parents, Zelgadis. The last thing I want to see is…"

"I'm only human when I'm in the shield," he wasn't quite this time, but forceful and resolute, and he turned his intense eyes towards her. "That shield is my only cure, Duuchesney. Do you really want me to stay like _this_ forever?"

That stopped her. She relaxed her posture and just looked at him, staring at his monstrous form. "No," she said timidly, hugging herself. "No, Zel I don't want to see you like that forever."

"Then we have to let the shield go back up," he answered. "I don't like it either, Duuchesney, but I've been searching for my cure for over five years now. It's not perfect, but at least here I'm _normal_ , and I don't want to lose that."

"But, maybe, if you perform the ceremony instead of that Mazoku…"

"There's no guarantee it will be strong enough to cure me," he interrupted her. "There's no guarantee it will even be strong enough to protect this place, and then even more lives will be lost. It would be the Fourth Couple all over again!"

"I can't believe you, Zel," she shot back, her voice desperate. "This may very well be your cure, but the shield is dangerous! Aren't you at all concerned for the people it's killed. Aren't you at least concerned for the Princ…"

She stopped herself, biting her lip and turning away from Zelgadis suddenly. It didn't take an expert to know where her sentence had been heading, though. "Amelia will be leaving shortly after putting the shield up," he answered, his voice noticeably calmer. "Once she's outside the shield, there is nothing to be concerned about."

She said nothing, simply continued to stare into space, chewing on her bottom lip. She seemed to be fighting with indecision now, just like Zelgadis had a few moments before. He could hardly blame her, loosing her parents had been very difficult for her, and by putting they're heads together they had determined the _real_ cause of their death.

He walked up to her quietly, stopping only inches away from her. She didn't turn to look at him, but continued to stare at the ground. The expression on her face was one he rarely saw in the fiercely prideful woman he knew so well, an expression of doubt and uncertainty. And Zelgadis was unaware that her indecision had nothing to do with her parents…

He reached out and gently touched her chin with his hand to turn her towards him, only to have her gasp and leap away from him, like the feel of his touch burned her. She stared at him wide-eyed, touching her chin. It was only after seeing the hurt expression on the chimera's face that she realized what she had done.

"I'm…sorry," she said tentatively. "I wasn't expecting you to do that."

_'I bet,'_ Zel thought with a grimace. She had expected flesh, not the feel of rough stone scraping across her chin. And she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.

"Once the shield is back up," he said, feeling the need to reassure her, "I'll be back to normal again, Duuchesney. Things can go back to the way they were before. We need only wait for Amelia and Xellos to…"

"You should have let me finish my story, Zelgadis."

He stiffened at her statement, "Huh?" he asked, nervous now. The way she had abruptly changed the subject didn't bode well. "Was there something else you needed to tell me?"

She threw her arms into the air in frustration. "God, I thought you were smart, Zel!" she spat, her voice turning harsh and accusing. "Just think about it for a minute, the shield is killing everyone who specializes in white magic! So who do you think its first victim was?"

His blood froze and his eyes went wide. He had a horrible feeling he knew where this was leading.

"That's right," she continued, interpreting his expression correctly. "I originally thought it was an accident, everybody did, until you told me about Xellos. When the White Mage-sama performed the ceremony 100 years ago, she was killed. Instantly!"

* * *

Amelia was having a beautiful dream. It was warm and inviting, but it didn't last long. The real world beckoned, and the dream slipped away in the process, leaving her pondering what this wonderful dream was. Something about a set of strong, loving arms holding her, and being enveloped in a warm, comforting light.

She was keenly aware that she was lying on her side, and as she slowly opened her eyes, she realized she was not in her room in the Mayor's home. In fact, she wasn't even on a bed; it felt like she was lying on the floor. No, she was lying on a cloak on the floor, a black cloak that looked and smelled familiar to her, like a combination of tea and incense.

"Ah, you're awake," the voice that spoke was equally familiar, and she slowly sat up to face him. Xellos smiled at her, slowly approaching.

"Where am…" Amelia started to ask, but she quickly answered her own question. She was lying just behind the altar in the Magical Fusion chamber. Xellos must have brought her here, lying her down on his cloak until she woke up.

She looked over at him, and noticed that he was holding the box that contained the rings for the fusion ceremony. He wandered over to the podium-like altar and set the box down before opening it.

"It's good that you're finally up, Amelia-chan. I was afraid I'd have to wake you." Xellos reached into the box and pulled out one of the rings. "The anti-magic shield is down. It's time to perform the ceremony."

Her eyes went wide, "The ceremony? Already? Just how long was I asleep anyway?"

"A few hours," he responded, as he reached into his pouch to pull something out.

"Where's Zelgadis-san?" She gazed around the room, but it was completely empty. The last thing she remembered before collapsing was Zelgadis beside her, calling her name.

"Zelgadis-san? He ran off to visit his girlfriend after he healed you," he answered, ignoring the look of pain that crossed Amelia's face. "He certainly couldn't let you die, you know. You _are_ his only link to his cure."

"Yes, I know," she sighed, closing her eyes. She had promised to restore the shield for him, even though she didn't really want to anymore.

"Oh, by the way," Xellos said, walking over to her, "do you think I could have my cloak back?"

Amelia blushed, realizing that she was still sitting on his cloak, and she quickly stood up and moved. Xellos walked over to her and reached down to pick it up.

She watched him reattach his cloak, still blushing furiously, "Um, thank you, Xellos-san." It seemed uncharacteristically kind of him to lend her his cloak.

He merely smirked, "Well I couldn't very well let you sleep on the cold floor, now could I?"

She smiled back, still marveling at how a Mazoku could be so thoughtful.

He walked back over to the altar. "Let's get moving, Amelia-san," he said as he stood in front of the altar. "The sooner we get this shield up, the better."

Amelia hesitated a moment. She didn't want to do this. It was a cruel irony to be forced to restore the very thing that kept Zelgadis from her. _'It's just not fair!'_

Her conflicting emotions did not escape Xellos' notice. "Amelia-chan, don't forget the promise you made, not just to Zelgadis-san, but to the people of this city. It would be…unjust…of you to turn back now."

She grimaced as she looked up at the smiling priest. It was just like Xellos to say something like that. Shaking her head to throw off her doubts, she approached the altar.

The streets of Nullin where abandoned now. With the shield down, everyone was in hiding, waiting for the shield to come back up and protect them from the demon attacks that weren't coming.

The streets were not completely abandoned, however. Two figures, a bandit and a chimera, ran down the main street of Nullin, heading straight for the altar room, both determined to stop the ceremony before it was too late.

Now that Zelgadis knew the truth about the shield, he knew that Amelia was in greater danger than he first realized. The story of the Fifth Couple had proven that, and he now knew exactly what Xellos had been trying to hide.

"You know, it may have really been an accident!" He heard Duuchesney say as she followed. "Just because she died, doesn't mean the princess will too!"

A feeling of anger welled up inside of him, "I'm not taking any chances!"

"But if you stop the ceremony, you'll stay like this forever!"

He looked back at her as he continued to run, and she could see the rage in his demonic eyes. "Would you honestly trade Amelia's life for my cure?"

She said nothing, just continued to run with him. She didn't care one bit for the princess, and if Amelia hadn't been his friend, Duuchesney probably would have kept the fate of the white mage to herself. That was what had made her hesitate earlier, knowing if he knew, he'd come rushing here to save her. It made her stomach churn to think of him running off to save another woman like a knight rescuing his…Princess. She snickered. How cruel and mocking this whole situation was.

They finally reached the shrine-doorway to the altar room, and they skidded to a halt. It looked as if getting to the ceremony was going to be more difficult than they had anticipated.

"I was wondering where all the warriors were while we were running through here," Duuchesney said as she surveyed the scene. The entrance to the altar room was completely surrounded by guards, and the presence of the two newcomers did not go unnoticed.

"There they are!" One of the warriors could be heard saying. "The Duchess and the demon are here. Prepare for battle!"

It wasn't just any group of warriors, however. Zelgadis and Duuchesney recognized every single one of them and could only stare in horror. Sanja, the shot keeper, was among them, wielding a wicked looking battle axe. Kelp was there too, along with several other familiar faces. Every member of Duuchesney's gang was here, and prepared to fight them.

The warriors and bandits brought their weapons to bear and began advancing on the duo. This was not what the two of them had expected to encounter. To say they were outnumbered would be an understatement, and by their _friends_ no less.

"Sanja, how dare you!" Duuchesney cried as she looked at them all. "All of you, you belong to me. You have the nerve to fight against me?"

"We didn't want to believe you'd consort with a demon," Sanja continued, still advancing on the pair, his face hard and unfeeling, "And yet here you are. I've seen you do some terrible things in you're life, Duchess, but I never thought you'd stoop this low."

"We're prepared to stop you," another warrior spoke up, "And protect the ceremony by any means necessary. We all agreed that we'd never follow a woman who consorts with a Mazoku. If you insist on fighting with him, we will not hesitate to kill you!"

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. He'd been mistaken for a monster before, but never by his friends. This was turning out to be a very bad day. "Somehow, I have a feeling this is Xellos' doing," he growled, watching the approaching warriors as he worked up a plan.

"Damn, he just thinks of everything doesn't he?" she grumbled, reaching down to draw her weapons. Slowly she crouched down into a fighting stance, preparing to charge into the group. "I hope you're as tough as you seem, Zelgadis. I know I can't take on this many men by myse..."

She didn't have a chance to finish before she was picked up from behind in one swift motion. She screamed, flailing her arms like a mad woman.

"Zelgadis!" she cursed as he lifted her off the ground by her waist. "Let me go! Damn it Zel, what are you doing?"

She kicked outwards with her legs, trying to force him to release her, but he held her fast. The only answer he gave was the quick casting of a spell, " _Ray Wing_!"

Duuchesney let out a startled squeak as Zelgadis leaped into the air, carrying the frightened bandit with him. She stopped struggling, her body stiffening as she looked _down_ on the men she'd almost attacked just a moment before.

"We're flying aren't we?" she asked nervously, not quite sure what to make of it. Zelgadis merely smiled.

He flew a short ways away and landed on one of the roofs overlooking the altar room. The guards around the doorway could only stare in shock. They, too, had never seen real magic before. They quickly regained they're senses, however, and prepared to chase the two of them down

"Duuchesney, cover you're eyes," Zelgadis said as he put her down. He didn't wait to see if she complied before he began casting a spell. " _Lighting_!"

The guards stopped as a bright flash of light enveloped the entire group. Painfully blinded, they all staggered back in confusion, clutching their eyes. Only a few of them, who probably blinked or looked away at the right moment, were not affected.

Which was why Zelgadis wasn't finished yet, " _Shadow Wave_!"

The chimera's shadow broke apart and shot like arrows towards the guards. Each piece struck their shadows, rendering the confused warriors immobile.

Duuchesney raised an eyebrow as she looked at the guards, struggling to free themselves from the unfamiliar spell, "Hey, isn't that…?"

"Sorta," he answered her. He wrapped one arm around her waste again and took to the air, flying straight towards the door to the shrine. He dropped the bandit-woman unceremoniously and opened the door. Or, at least he tried to open the door.

"Locked, I should have known," he grumbled. Taking a few steps back, he brought his hand up for another spell. " _Damu Bras_!"

It was a truly spectacular explosion, but once the dust cleared, the shrine remained intact. Zelgadis snarled as he examined the metal of the door. "Orihalcon? Unbelievable! Where did a small town like this get enough Orihalcon to make an entire shrine?"

"I don't know," the bandit-woman answered. "That thing has been here a lot longer than I have!

Zelgadis pounding on the door with his fist, "Amelia? Amelia, can you hear me in there? It's me, Zelgadis! Amelia, please answer me!"

"ZELGADIS!"

It wasn't Amelia he heard. Spinning around at the sound of Duuchesney's panicked cry, he saw that the warriors had recovered from their initial shock. Still immobile, they pulled out a series of bows, crossbows, and throwing knives, preparing to strike again. They may not be capable of moving, but they could still shoot.

"Duuchesney, behind me!"

She didn't argue with him, rushing between Zel and the shrine as quickly as she could. She barely made it before a slew of arrows, daggers, and stones hurled their way. Zelgadis brought his hands up to cover his eyes and let the ballista bounce off his stone skin harmlessly.

"They just won't give up!" Zelgadis cursed, as he stole a peak at the warriors, who were now preparing to reload and try again.

* * *

Amelia twisted the ring on her finger nervously as Xellos picked up the ring box and put it away. She was horribly nervous now, and she wasn't entirely sure why. She'd practiced this ceremony already, and it was certainly simple enough. Yet she had a horribly uneasy feeling about it.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to calm herself down. What did she have to worry about anyway? She was about to perform a powerful magical ceremony, one that would last 100 years, with a formidable Mazoku, and if anything went wrong, there was no one around to witness it. What could she possibly be so nervous about?

Even the ring on her finger didn't feel right as she twisted it around and around frantically. She would have given anything to have Zelgadis here right now. Even if the bandit-woman was with him, she didn't care! His mere presence seemed to comfort her regardless.

"If you keep that up much longer Amelia-chan," Xellos said, as he walked back, "you're going to pull your finger right off your hand."

She clasped her hands together to stop the fidgeting and looked up at Xellos. He smiled back at her as he took his place at the altar. He was uncomfortably close once again, but this time Amelia didn't really care. She was getting rather accustomed to the mysterious priest and his strange antics. Besides, the sooner she got this ceremony over with, the sooner she could put everything that had happened here behind her and get on with her life.

"So, shall we get started," the Mazoku said as he raised his hand up to take hers. She sighed, and then nodded, reaching her hand out to take his. Their fingers only barely brushed together when a noise from outside caught Amelia's attention.

"What is that," she said as she slowly pulled her hand away. She could hear shouting and the patter of footsteps above her.

"Probably the guards," Xellos answered. "I set them up around the shrine to keep any unwanted visitors from entering."

"Unwanted visitors?" she turned back to the Mazoku. "But you said there weren't going to be any demon attacks this year!"

"No _official_ ones," he responded. "The Dark Lords do not intend to send an army to attack this town like years passed. But remember, demons and monsters have a will of their own, and I can't stop the ones who decide to take advantage of the shield being down."

"I see," she answered. She could still hear the rustling of feet, the shouting of men. "It sounds like there's going to be a fight."

"Very likely," Xellos turned back to Amelia, bringing his hand up once again. "Which is why it's important that we hurry, Amelia-san. The sooner we get this shield up, the better."

"Right," she turned back to face him and brought her hand up yet again. But before she'd even touched him, another sound caught her attention.

"Someone's trying to get in," there was a slight panic in her voice, but she heard the door knob jiggle as someone tried to turn the knob. It was quickly followed by a loud explosion that sent wisps of smoke through the cracks in the door. Then she heard an all too familiar voice cursing on the other side.

"That's Zelgadis-san!" She started rushing for the door, but Xellos caught her by her wrist, forcing her to turn and face him again.

"We don't have time for this," his eyes were wide and insistent, and he was growing rather agitated. "We have to perform the ceremony now!"

"But Zelgadis is trying to get in," she turned pleading eyes to the Mazoku. "Maybe he needs my help. We have to let him in, Xellos-san."

"We can help him best by performing the ceremony."

Amelia hesitated, and then she heard the muffled voice behind the door, _his_ voice, _"Amelia? Amelia, can you hear me in there? It's me, Zelgadis! Amelia, please answer me!"_

"ZELGADIS-SAN!" she yelled, only to have another voice from the other side drown her out. She tried running for the door again, but Xellos had not relinquished his hold on her arm.

"Amelia-chan!" the Mazoku was a little more insistent this time.

"No!" Amelia cried, trying to force her arm out of his, but he held it easily. "I want to see him! He's desperate to get in here, Xellos-san, and I'm going to let him in!"

"But the shield…"

"I won't perform the ceremony until I see him!"

Xellos narrowed his eyes, but Amelia set her jaw stubbornly, making it clear she'd made up her mind and would not relent. They stared at each other like this for several moments, neither of them moving except for the occasional, angry twitch in Xellos' eyes.

It wasn't long, however, before something flashed within the Mazoku's lavender eyes, something sinister that made Amelia gulp in fear, her stubbornness abated. It had been there only briefly, making Amelia wonder if she had really seen it at all. The charming Xellos was gone now, and somehow she knew without a doubt, something wasn't right. She could feel it in her very bones.

Xellos finally tore his gaze away from her, turning his attention to the doorway. An evil, terrifying grin slowly spread across his face and he released Amelia's arm, making her stumble a couple of steps away from him.

"Very well," he said coldly, bowing to the confused Princess. "Just wait here, Amelia-san. I'll go get him for you."

In an instant, the priest was gone.

* * *

Zelgadis brought his hands up, preparing to cast another spell, but unable to think of one that would help in this situation. Duuchesney stayed behind him, using Zelgadis as a shield while she, too, tried to determine how to get out of this mess.

"Can't you just blind them again with your light spell?" she asked, rubbing her forearm where one of the daggers had nicked her.

"If I do, it will cancel the _Shadow Wave_ ," his eyes narrowing in frustration. "If we can just get inside the shrine, we can escape them. Duu-chan, do you think you can pick the lock?"

"It would take some time, but I could try," she answered, looking back at the door. "Give me your kit."

She didn't wait for an answer before she reached into the pocket where she knew he kept it. He stole only a quick glance at her, and it didn't take long for her to find his lock-picking kit and pull it out.

She didn't have time to use it. A familiar, Mazoku priest appeared in front of them, seemingly out of no where, bringing up a shield immediately to block the next volley of arrows.

"Xellos, what are you doing here?" Zelgadis said to the Mazoku's back. Xellos ignored him, his eyes sweeping over the immobile warriors before raising his staff above his head.

Streams of pure darkness rose from Xellos' very being, like pure-black smoke. The warriors stopped they're attack, watching in awe as the darkness slowly began to collect around his staff, concentrating there in an ever-growing and swirling sphere of blackness. It didn't take a genius to see that Xellos was preparing something terrible.

"Duuchesney, get down!" Zelgadis grabbed the bandit-woman, who gave a terrified yelp before being tackled roughly to the ground. She didn't even have time to protest when she heard the terrible explosion, followed by the horrifying, pain-filled screams of the warriors and bandits. Duuchesney struggled under his weight, but he was a lot heavier than he looked, and he refused to release her.

The explosions and screams lasted only moments before they were silenced, and not even the crickets could be heard in the night air. Zelgadis looked up, followed by a bruised and irritated Duuchesney, but there was nothing to see. The warriors were gone, vanished in the night like they'd never been there at all.

"Really, Zelgadis-san," Xellos said as he turned back to the duo, his calm, trade-mark smile marking his face. "I didn't think you'd have so much trouble with those guys. Are you losing your touch?"

Zelgadis stared wide-eyed at Xellos. He picked himself up off the ground, bringing himself to eye-level with the Mazoku priest.

"What have you done?" he gasped, staring at the place were Nullin's elite warriors once stood. Sanja, all of his friends, and all the members of Duuchesney's gang… _gone_! As hard as he looked, he still saw nothing, not even a scorch mark or a speck.

"I took care of them for you," he answered calmly. "No need to thank me, of course. You just looked like you could use some help."

Zelgadis couldn't speak, and even Duuchesney sputtered as she picked herself up off the ground, "How could you do such a thing?"

"What, I thought I was doing you a favor," he responded with a sneer. "It sounded like you were having some trouble out here, so I thought I'd lend a hand."

"You Monster!" Zelgadis finally growled, clenching his fists in rage.

"Yes, some would call me that," Xellos grinned. "Now, Zelgadis-san, is there a reason you're so rudely trying to barge in on Amelia-chan and I. We were having such a beautiful, tender moment when you started knocking on our door. You ruined the whole mood!"

Zelgadis glared at Xellos, ignoring his twisted humor, "I know the story of the Fifth Couple, Xellos."

The priest's grin dropped slightly and he cracked his eyes open to look at Zelgadis. "Do you now." He wasn't joking around anymore.

"I know it was you, Xellos," Zelgadis continued, growing bolder as he noted Xellos' change in tone. "You performed the ceremony 100 years ago as Black Mage-sama, didn't you?"

"You always were a smart one," Xellos snickered. "So I guess you're here for Amelia-chan, right?"

"I made a promise to Amelia," he continued, his hand reaching for his sword. "If I found out this ceremony would hurt her in any way, I would put a stop to it. I intend to keep that promise."

"And I thought I'd warned you," Xellos shot back, "about causing trouble for me. If you've come to stop the ceremony, I think that definitely counts as trouble."

"I really, don't give a damn, Xellos. If you perform the ceremony with Amelia, she'll die, and I won't let that happen!"

"Oh give me a little credit will you," Xellos said, waving his hand in the air. "Just because the White Mage-sama died 100 years ago doesn't mean…"

"I'm not taking that chance," he said, repeating his earlier statement. " _I'm_ going to be the Black Mage-sama for _this_ ceremony, Xellos. I won't let you endanger Amelia."

"I can't let you do that," Xellos answered calmly, his eyes boring into the chimera's. "Beastmaster-sama would not be pleased if…"

"I don't care," Zelgadis growled. "I'm not letting you near Ame…"

Zelgadis never saw it coming. Xellos eyes flashed with anger just before he vanished into thin air and appearing just in front of the chimera, mere inches from his face. Zelgadis stumbled backwards in shock, trying to draw his sword in the same motion, but it was too late. Before the chimera could react, Xellos brought his staff around and thrust the sharper end of it straight into his stomach.

Zelgadis' eyes went wide and he gasped, pain shooting through his body. Xellos had imbedded his staff into his stomach, blood already starting to seep around the edges before he pulled it out abruptly, forcing Zelgadis to collapse to the ground in a painful heap. He clutched at his stomach, trying to stop the flow of blood that seeped between his fingers.

"ZELGADIS!" Duuchesney could only stare in horror as she watched him crumple into a ball and fall to the ground. Her panic quickly turned to anger, and she rushed at Xellos in a rage. "You damn Mazoku, I'll make you pay for that!"

She swung downward with her enchanted sword, but he brought his staff up and blocked it with ease. She brought her second weapon around, slashing his stomach, only to find the ordinary blade passed through him. It was like trying to slice through water, his body separating only slightly before coming back together, not even a mark left to show for it.

_'He really was a Mazoku,'_ Duuchesney thought, fear gripping her heart. She shook it away however, snarling as she pulled her first weapon away and twisting it around to strike him in the shoulder, but Xellos blocked that with ease as well. His expression was smug, almost bored.

She dropped her second weapon, using both hands to swing at his neck with her enchanted blade. She was a mere inches from him when Xellos reached up and caught the blade with his opposite hand, snickering at the shocked expression on her face. She tried to pull the sword away, but he held it fast.

"Such rude behavior, Duuchesney-san," he sneered. "Even for you."

"You killed my parents," she spat back, trying in vain to pull her sword back. "I swear I'll kill you!"

"Yes, but you're trying to kill me with the sword _I_ gave you?" he sneered. "I'm afraid I'll have to take it back now." Bringing his staff hand around, he used an invisible force to push her away. The sword hilt slipped from her fingers as she flew through the air, slamming into a brick house nearby. The force instantly knocked her out, and she slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Zelgadis couldn't speak. Still clutching his stomach, trying to stem the flow of blood seeping from it, he could only watch as Xellos looked at the enchanted sword one last time, before letting it vanish in his hand. He then turned to the chimera, slowly walking up to him and crouching down in front of him.

Zelgadis lifted his eyes up to look at the Mazoku priest, but as he did, Xellos' hand shot out grabbing him around the throat. Zel gurgled, bringing one bloody hand up to try and pry the tight, gloved fingers off of his neck. Xellos didn't even flinch as he brought the chimera's face right up to his till their noses practically touched.

"Time to go now, Zelgadis-san," Xellos whispered menacingly, his hot breath washing over the chimera's disgusted face. "I promised Amelia-chan I'd bring you to her. I'd hate to keep her waiting."

Both chimera and Mazoku vanished.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 12: I'd Die For Him  
> Xellos isn't playing around anymore...


	12. I'd Die For Him

Amelia could only wait, standing in the altar room alone while she listened to the commotion outside. The battle was still going on, and Xellos had yet to return.

She heard a voice, Duuchesney's fear-filled voice, call out Zel's name. Her heart leaped into her throat in a panic. _'Something's happened to Zelgadis-san!'_

She rushed to the door, trying desperately to open it, but Xellos had locked her in. Standing back, she began chanting a spell, " _Flare Arrow_!"

The spell struck the door, but fizzled harmlessly. But she wasn't one to give up that easily, " _Damu Bras_!" It was the same spell Zelgadis had used only moments before, and it had the same results. The door remained undamaged.

She prepared to cast another spell when she heard a sound directly behind her. She knew that noise, like a musical "whoosh," and she spun around to see Xellos holding an bleeding Zelgadis by the neck.

"Xellos-san, what…what are you doing?" she cried as she rushed over to them. Xellos dropped Zelgadis to the ground between the pews, making no move when Amelia kneeled down next to him.

Zelgadis could only curl up in a fetal position, trying to protect his stomach. He kept his eyes tightly shut, but he could still feel Amelia's presence as she lifted up her hands and began casting a _Recovery_ spell.

" _Oh, blessed and humble hand of God_ …" Amelia proceeded to heal him as Xellos merely watched. Zelgadis cracked an eye open and looked at the Mazoku, and found Xellos staring back. ' _Now what was the Mazoku up to?_ '

"Please hurry, Amelia-san," Xellos said as he watched. His voice was cold and collected, like he'd come to a dreadful decision and he was anxious to see it through, "I believe Zelgadis-san has something very important to tell you."

' _What?'_ Zelgadis' eyes grew wide as he stared at the Mazoku. Xellos had injured him, tried to kill him the moment he revealed what he knew. Now he just stood there and let Amelia work? Surely Xellos knew that the moment he was healed and could speak, Zelgadis would tell Amelia about the ceremony. There's no way she would willingly perform it if she knew what it would do to her.

"What does he need to tell me, Xellos-san?" Her hands were still over Zelgadis, working the healing spell, but she turned slightly to look at Xellos.

Xellos walked over to one of the pews and sat down on the edge, pulling his staff across his lap. "Be patient, Amelia-san, I'm sure he's more than anxious to tell you himself."

"How was he injured?" she asked.

The Mazoku shrugged, nonchalantly. "I attacked him."

He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, but the words still shocked Amelia. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at Xellos, "Wha..What? But why Xellos-san?"

"I'm sure Zelgadis will be more than eager to tell you that as well."

As soon as the healing spell was complete, Zelgadis stood up, never taking his furious eyes off the Mazoku. Xellos returned his stare without blinking, daring the chimera to make the first move. "Now what the hell are you up to, Xellos?"

"Here I thought you wanted to tell Amelia what you discovered," Xellos raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Surely that would take precedence over any silly questions you may have for me. Just tell her why I attacked you. Is it really so hard?"

Zelgadis didn't like this. Xellos was supposed to be stopping him. But he was actually _encouraging_ him. When Xellos didn't act as predicted, it could only spell trouble.

Actually, _anything_ Xellos did spelled trouble…

"Zelgadis-san?" Amelia lightly touched his arm, and he turned to her. Her eyes were wide with fright and curiosity. The poor girl had no idea what was going on, but she knew it wasn't good. His sudden misgivings towards the Mazoku didn't change the fact that she needed to know.

"Amelia, you can't perform the Magical Fusion ceremony with Xellos."

She blinked, her brow creased in confusion, "Why?"

"Because it will kill you if you do!" he snapped unintentionally, causing her to cringe.

"I…I don't understand?"

It was as if she were a child again, a confused and frightened child, and the chimera's heart clenched in his chest. He stood up, reaching down to take her hand and help her up as well. He then looked back at the Mazoku, and instinctively pulled Amelia behind him to protect her.

"Performing Magical Fusion with a Mazoku kills the White Mage-sama," he answered. "If Magical Fusion is going to be performed today, I'm going to be the one to perform it with you. I won't allow Xellos to kill you, Amelia!"

Xellos stood up, taking a few steps to stand before the couple. Zelgadis grabbed his sword, but he was reluctant to draw it just yet. The Mazoku wasn't paying attention to him, anyway. He was looking at the Princess.

"So, now you know," he smirked, his voice as calm as Nullin Lake. "That, you see, is why I attacked Zelgadis out there. He seems determined to stop the ceremony now that he thinks you're going to die."

"Thinks?" Zelgadis snarled, tightening his grip on his sword. "I _know_ she would die, Xellos! The fate of the Fifth Couple proves it!"

"Just because the previous White Mage-sama died, doesn't mean Amelia-san will too," Xellos was speaking to him like a teacher to an insolent child. "Really Zelgadis-san, you act as if I meant to kill her. Believe me, it was an accident. How was I to know Dova-san was going to die from the magical backlash?"

"Oh, I'm sure you were just dripping with good intentions," Zelgadis snapped back sarcastically. "But it doesn't matter. I'm not taking any chances. So unless you want to let _me_ perform the ceremony as Black Mage-sama, you can forget about the shield going up."

Amelia's eyes were shining as she stared at Zelgadis. Here she thought he'd do anything to be cured, even sacrifice her, and yet he was willing to sacrifice the shield, sacrifice his cure, for _her_. Not only that, but he was willing to defy the most powerful of all Mazoku (not counting the Dark Lords) to do it! She'd been wrong about him. He really did care about her!

She turned away from Zelgadis to stare furiously at the Mazoku, "That's right, Xellos-san!" Her confidence restored, she stood up straight and dramatically pointed her finger in Xellos' direction. "There's no way I could perform Magical Fusion with you. The ceremony requires my cooperation, and you can't force me to do it. I suggest you step aside and let us Warriors of Justice handle the ceremony, or feel the wrath of our Indestructible Love!"

Zelgadis didn't have to turn around to know she was posing dramatically, and he sweat-dropped. "Oh Amelia…"

"Impressive," Xellos interrupted. "You are right about one thing, Amelia, I cannot _physically_ force you to perform the ceremony. I'm confident, however, that I can still convince you to perform it with me willingly."

"Not a chance!" Amelia spat. "I'll never help you with your evil plans, you villainous Mazoku!"

Xellos shook his head. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but it seems you give me no choice."

"Nothing you can do will make me perform Magical Fusion with you!" she folded her arms in front, clenching her jaw stubbornly.

Xellos shook his head, amused by her foolishness, "Amelia-san," he laughed, "Do you really think I brought Zelgadis here just because you _asked_ me to?"

That got her attention, and she relaxed from her pose. "What?"

"I know you, Amelia-san," his tone was icy now, and his lavender eyes sent chills down her spine. "You said it yourself. You told me you'd _die_ for him, and I think you would."

Zelgadis blinked in surprise. Did she really say that? It didn't matter, he thought with a snarl, drawing his sword and holding it in front of him. There was no way he'd let Xellos use him against Amelia.

Xellos continued to ignore him, however, keeping his evil glare on the Princess. "You've seen what I can do to him, Amelia-san. That was just a taste of the pain I will inflict on your precious Zelgadis if you refuse to perform the ceremony with me."

"Don't listen to him," Zelgadis yelled, keeping his eyes on Xellos but turning his head in Amelia's direction. "I can take whatever he can dish out. Don't worry about me."

"I have no intention of killing _you_ , Amelia," Xellos continued, still talking as if the chimera wasn't there. "But believe me, I have every intention of killing _him_ if you continue to defy me. So what will it be, White Mage-sama?"

Amelia couldn't speak. She remembered Zelgadis, curled up on the floor, his blood seeping out of him as she tried to heal him. Xellos did that to him. On purpose. He would have slowly bled to death had Amelia not healed him. Her eyes widened in horror. She knew Xellos had the power to kill Zelgadis in an instant, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

Zelgadis reached his hand out, shielding Amelia. "Intentions and actions are two different things, Xellos! I couldn't care less what your 'intention' is, your past actions say Amelia will die, and I refuse to let that happen!"

"You have no say in the matter," Xellos finally acknowledged Zelgadis' presence. "This decision is for Amelia-san alone."

"Like hell it is!" He lifted his sword into the air. " _Astral Vine_!"

His sword glowed red and Zelgadis charged him. He swung downwards, but his sword caught nothing but air.

A gasp from Amelia behind him caught his attention, but it was too late. By charging Xellos, Zelgadis had created a gap between himself and Amelia, and the Mazoku took full advantage of it. Zel didn't even have a chance to turn around before he was blasted into the pews by a spell.

The wooden pews shattered and splintered around him. He could hear Amelia cry out his name. He quickly picked himself up out of the rubble, but Xellos was already upon him. Turning his palm towards the chimera, Xellos fired what looked like a multitude of black needles at his target. Each one pierced Zelgadis' stone skin and he screamed as pain shot through him with every strike.

"STOP IT!" Amelia screamed, and she brought her fist up to cast a spell. " _Elmikia Lance_!"

The _Elmikia Lance_ surged forward, but struck a force field before even getting close to Xellos. Growling in frustration, Amelia brought her hands in front of her, preparing to cast the most powerful spell she knew, " _Rah Tilt_!"

A stream of blue-white light escaped from her fingertips, but even that spell was no match for Xellos' shield.

"I can keep this up forever, you know," Xellos said, snickering in Amelia's direction. She looked at Zelgadis, who was still lying among the broken pews, his body riddled with black needles. "I just can't help but wonder how long Zelgadis will hold out? Care to find out, Amelia-san?" Xellos held out his hand towards Zelgadis, and then slowly clenched his fists. The needles in Zel's body began piercing deeper, and he screamed from the excruciating pain.

" _Vis-Fan Rank_!" Amelia's fists glowed with the power of her custom spell and she charged at Xellos. "Leave him alone!"

She swung out with her fist and struck the barrier just where she knew it was. Sparks of electrical and magical energy shot out were her _Vis-Fan Rank_ struck the barrier, but she gritted her teeth, putting all of her strength into breaking the shield.

"You're certainly importunate," Xellos mused, watching her attempts. "Perhaps you'd like an upfront, personal view, hmm?" He brought his arm up and snapped his finger, and the field vanished, sending Amelia flying towards him. She cried out in surprise, heading straight for the opposite wall. But Xellos caught her around the waist, stopping her momentum.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed, kicking her legs to try and free herself from his grasp. He obeyed, releasing her so she collapsed to her knees in front of Zelgadis.

Amelia clenched her teeth, but looked up at the chimera. He was still alive, breathing in short, pain filled gasps that made her heart clench. Black needles covered him, making him look like a strange stone cactus. She reached out her hand and grabbed one. When she tried to pull it out, however, Zelgadis cried out in pain.

"Get these things off of him," she demanded, tears blurring her vision as she turned to the Mazoku.

"I'll be happy to relieve him of the pain, Amelia," he said, still grinning with amusement. He knelt down beside her, and she shied away from him. "Once I'm done with this little assignment, he'll be of no further use to me."

She took Zelgadis' hand in hers, which mercifully had no spikes imbedded in it. "What guarantee do I have that you'll release him once the ceremony is over?" she spat back.

"Shall I give my word," his voice was seductive, barely above a whisper, and it made her skin crawl.

"I don't trust you, Xellos-san," she glared at him, clutching the chimera's hand tightly. "You told me I had nothing to worry about with this ceremony, and then I find out…"

"I already told you I do not intend to kill you, Amelia-san," he interrupted.

"Liar!" It was Zelgadis' strained voice that spoke, and the two of them turned to him. "Don't do it, Amelia! Please don't do it!"

"I'm more than willing to continue torturing you, Zelgadis-san," Xellos responded, snickering. To prove his point, he lifted his hand up, and clenched his fist. Zelgadis screamed again as the needles drove themselves into his stone flesh.

"STOP IT!" Amelia screamed again. "Stop it now or I'll…I'll…"

"You'll do what, Amelia-san?" He was so confident it was frightening.

"Life is Wonderful! Life is Wonderful! _LIFE IS WONDERFUL_!" her eyes were tightly clenched as she cried out those words. She had successfully weakened Xellos before. It had to work again!

She dared to open her eyes to see if she'd done anything, but Xellos was staring at her, unfazed. In fact, he was actually amused. _'It didn't work! Why didn't it work?'_

"Rather difficult to use an 'attack' like that," Xellos grinned, "when your heart is filled with despair, anger, and fear, Amelia-san."

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and tears stung her eyes. That was it. She had nothing left to try. What else could she possibly do?

Xellos laughed a twisted, perverse laugh. "You know, I don't believe Zelgadis-san can take much more of this, Amelia-san. Shall we see, hmmm?" he raised his hand, preparing to clench his fist.

"NO!" Amelia screamed, releasing Zelgadis' hand and grabbing the Mazoku's. "Don't, Xellos-san, please! I'll do it, alright. I'LL DO IT!"

Xellos looked at the princess and smiled, clasping her hand in his. "I'm glad to see you've come to you're senses, Amelia-san." He stood up, pulling a reluctant Amelia up with him. "Well," he perked up, "we'd better get started then."

* * *

The needles poked through every muscle in his body, wracking every movement he made with pain. Despite this, he managed to grit his teeth and sit up, leaning against the shattered pew. He looked towards the altar, witnessing the very sight he had dreaded to see.

Xellos and Amelia stood before the altar, their ring hands clasped as they prepared to perform the ritual. He tried to speak, but his voice was weak and he couldn't shout loud enough for them to hear.

He watched as Amelia recited the spell that would activate the ring, the same one he'd used to save her life only hours before. And now here she was, throwing it away. For _him._

The rings flared to life, enveloping their hands in a bright, white light. Amelia initially turned her eyes away, shielding herself from the glare, but the light wasn't blinding. She eventually turned back to gaze at her ring hand curiously. Zelgadis knew the routine from his studies. With the rings activated, the next step was to touch the altar. Xellos immediately reached his hand out but, understandably, Amelia hesitated.

Zelgadis watched as Xellos began talking to Amelia again, but couldn't hear what was said. Most likely he was reiterating his threats so she'd obey and perform the ritual. She wasn't looking at the Mazoku, but she was listening. Slowly, she reached her hand towards the altar.

The minute her hand touched the altar a strange, electrical crackling noise could be heard. Streams of reddish, magical currents surrounded the altar. They had yet to channel their power into it, but the altar seemed to recognize and respond to the combined white and black magic. There was only one step left before the Magical Fusion would be complete.

Xellos was using him as a hostage to get to Amelia, and now she was going to die before his eyes. There had to be something he could do! But what? He could hardly move!

Zelgadis lifted his arms up, clenching his teeth and hissing as the needles stung and ripped with every movement. Slowly, he began chanting a spell.

Xellos cracked an eye open to look at him. Seems his movements didn't escape the Mazoku's notice, but neither did he make a move to stop them.

" _Rah Tilt!_ " A stream of blue-white light, just like the one Amelia had used moments before, shot towards Xellos. And just like before, it was blocked by a barrier surrounding the Mazoku. Amelia looked towards Zelgadis, her mouth wide in shock, but Xellos brought her attention back to him. They still needed to focus their power into the altar, and then the fusion would begin.

Zelgadis cursed to himself. The _Rah Tilt_ was his most powerful spell, yet it rarely seemed to work when he needed it most! He watched as Xellos spoke to Amelia. In order for the ritual to work, they had to channel their power into the altar simultaneously. It came as no surprise, then, when Xellos began counting down. Zelgadis needed only read his lips to know.

"Five!"

He had to stop this now, there was no time left. They were about to complete the ritual.

"Four!"

Zel brought his hands up again, but couldn't think of a spell that would help.

"Three!"

He could attempt to destroy the altar, but the resulting blast would very likely kill Amelia before the ritual did.

"Two!"

' _AMELIA!'_

"One!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up! Chapter 13: True Fusion  
> Will Zel be able to rescue Amelia? Or is this author really sadistic enough to kill her?


	13. True Fusion

A strange, crackling noise was replaced with an artificial howling as a black and red stream of magic shot into the air, centered on the altar. The magical power created a force like a tornado, sending their hair a clothes billowing around them. The Magical Fusion ceremony had finally begun.

Was it too late? Amelia was still alive, her eyes tightly closed and teeth clenched, either because she was concentrating, or because she was in great pain. Or perhaps both. Xellos had his eyes open and was casually channeling his Mazoku powers into the altar, oblivious to what was happening to his partner. Zelgadis had very little time to think of something that would save Amelia.

" _Flare Arrow!_ " A lance of red light shot toward Xellos, but struck his personal shield again. Even while performing the ritual, Xellos was keeping himself protected. Zelgadis knew a _Flare Arrow_ would have little effect on the Mazoku, but it still proved that attacking him was futile.

"I strongly suggest you stop interfering, Zelgadis-san," Xellos spoke up, never taking his eyes off the altar. "You will only make things worse."

Zelgadis growled, but otherwise ignored the Mazoku. Attacking Xellos was out, which meant his next option was to help Amelia somehow. He could try boosting her magic with his own, but he doubted his weaker white magic would help her enough. Now what was it Xellos had said? Or was it Duuchesney? Something about the "backlash" from the altar being what killed the other white mage. Perhaps a _Wind Barrier_ could protect her. With her hand touching the altar, however, there was no way he could get a barrier between them. Putting a barrier around her _and_ the altar would only increase the danger.

No, there was nothing he could do to Amelia to save her. This left only one other target. It was a long shot, but it was the best he could think of. He raised his hand up, preparing one last spell.

" _Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and everlasting infinite_ ," it very likely wouldn't change anything, but even a little disruption might help save Amelia.

Xellos, his hand never leaving the altar, turned towards Zelgadis. "Didn't you try that spell already?" He tried to sound amused, but there was definite concern in his voice. _'Good,'_ Zelgadis thought as he continued to cast the spell. _'If Xellos is worried, that's good for me.'_

" _Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the Infinite_!"

"Zelgadis-san, what are you doing? I told you not to interfere!"

Zelgadis rushed forward with his hand outstretched. The pain caused by the spikes in his skin was not going to stop him.

Xellos put his shield up again to block the spell, cursing himself for not putting the chimera out of commission first. It was only then that Xellos discovered _he_ was not the target. Zelgadis rushed past him, under Xellos and Amelia's clenched hands. With his body wedged between them, he struck the Magical Fusion altar and released the spell directly into it. " _Rah Tilt_!"

The black and red stream was quickly joined by a bluish-white one, all of them weaving together as it continued into the sky. In an instant, the beam of magical energy came crashing downward, back into the altar, and all three sorcerers screamed in unison.

The power exploded in a flash of light that knocked them all back. Zelgadis wasn't sure what had happened, but he suddenly regretted doing it. That feeling only lasted a brief moment before he passed out.

* * *

Duuchesney tried to pick herself up from the side of the building, but she cried out in pain and slumped down again. Her sword arm was on fire, and she felt nothing but pain from her middle back down.

She lay among the rubble and tried to get her bearings on what happened. She remembered clearly attacking Xellos, but little after that. Where was Zelgadis? She glanced around, but as far as she could tell, she was completely alone.

She liked to think Zelgadis wouldn't just leave her lying beside a building like this. That meant something must have happened to him. They hadn't come running in with any set plan, but this certainly didn't turn out the way they had hoped.

The ground began to rumble, pulling her out of her thoughts. Duuchesney looked over at the shrine as a loud, explosive noise came from it. A black and red beam of light emerged, shooting high into the air, and then dispersing around the city.

' _There it is,'_ she moaned to herself. _'That cursed shield!'_

The beams of black and red began to weave together in chaotic patterns, forming within them the hazy, heat-like waviness of the shield that was familiar to the bandit. It was really a beautiful sight. She could have appreciated it if not for the feeling of dread welling up inside her.

But even as she lay there, mesmerized by the sight, another explosion rocked the shrine, shaking the ground. The black and red lights were suddenly joined by a bluish-white one. Like the ones before it, the new light began weaving its way in and out of the magical threads.

"What in the world?" she whispered. She'd heard all the stories of what the shield ceremony looked like, but none of them had ever described this. As the blue light weaved itself in the black and red appeared to slowly dissipate, like wisps of smoke caught in the wind. But at the same time, black and red beams would appear and cause the blue light to scatter. It was like a strange and beautiful battle taking place in the sky.

She couldn't tell how long it had been going on before all of the lights dissolved, leaving behind a clear and undistorted sky. It was like nothing had happened.

' _What? Where's the shield?'_ Normally you could see the shield of Nuulin the moment it was formed, but the bandit-woman saw nothing but stars.

It wasn't long before Duuchesney heard the sound of running footsteps approaching, and she turned to look. The townsfolk, lead by the mayor, had emerged from their shelters to see what had happened. _'Damnit!'_ this was normally her cue to leave. Too bad she couldn't move.

"Where are the guards?" the mayor shouted as he surveyed the scene. "Where are all the warriors we had standing guard?"

"Sweetheart," the mayor's wife, Ladia, spoke up. "You don't suppose…the Mazoku that Black Mage-sama warned us about…? Could he have…?"

The mayor, his face illuminated by a lantern he was carrying, could only stare as a look of total dread spread across his face. Duuchesney wanted to snort in disgust, but she kept herself still, hoping they wouldn't see her. Times like these were precisely why she wore mostly black.

That, and it made laundry easier.

"Mayor-sama, look," one of the onlookers spoke up. "There's one over there." So much for staying out of sight. The man was pointing straight at her, and she cursed under her breath.

The mayor rushed over, relief covering his face until he raised the lantern to reveal her face. He gasped, "YOU!"

Several men, Mayor Ruulin's personal guard no doubt, drew their weapons, pointing them at the bandit leader. She said nothing, just sat there clutching her injured arm. This was definitely not one of her better days.

"Black Mage-sama warned us you were in league with the Mazoku, Duchess," the mayor said, standing up to his full height. "Despicable!"

She smirked. Part of her wanted to explain to him what was really going on, but she also knew it was pointless to try. It was hard enough for _her_ to understand it all.

"Where is the Mazoku, Duchess?" His voice was threatening and stern.

She saw no point in lying, and with a shrug that caused her to gasp in pain and grip her arm tightly, she replied, "He's inside the shrine."

Ladia ran over to open the shrine, but the way was locked, "Ruulin-chan? Do you have the key?"

The mayor moved towards the shrine while fishing through his pockets. The guards stepped up to take his place, keeping their weapons on Duuchesney. Not that they really _needed_ to threaten her to keep her in place. _'Can't they see I'm injured?'_

The mayor was still digging through his pockets for the key. It would seem he had misplaced it, and his frustration grew.

"Sweety," Ladia spoke up again. "Isn't it strange? We saw the stream of lights come from the shrine, and yet the shield doesn't look like it's active?"

"Something obviously went wrong," the mayor responded. "We have to get in there and find out what happened!"

* * *

There was no way of knowing how long he had been out. Zelgadis could still feel the pain from the needles that had covered his body, but when he opened his eyes to look, he found they were gone.

Zelgadis was able to push himself off the ground, his arms shaking with the strain of movement. He still felt weak, but his brain forced his body to move. He had to know what happened. He had to know if she was alive!

A low groan caught his attention and he turned. He saw another figure lifting itself from the ground, but his vision was blocked by the pews. Was it Amelia? A flash of disheveled purple hair and a black cloak proved otherwise.

"Xellos," he growled under his breath. He forced himself to stand, taking a look around. There was no sign of her.

"That _hurt_ ," Xellos groaned, holding his head in pain and leaning heavily on his staff. The Mazoku had certainly seen better days. His was hair tousled, and his clothes partly torn and covered in dirt. He didn't seem angry, just whiney. " _Rah Tilts_ tend to sting, you know!"

"Where's Amelia?"

"I don't know," Xellos answered, but the chimera noticed him open an eye to look around. He caught sight of something and he pointed towards the ground in front of the pews. "She's right there."

Zelgadis didn't hesitate. Ignoring the pain that still coursed through him, he rushed over to where Xellos had pointed. Sure enough, he saw a head of familiar black hair and a white and blue outfit, lying face down on the ground in front of the pews.

He approached, kneeling down beside her so he could lift her into his arms. He brought his ear down to her mouth, to check for breathing. The minute he felt a puff of her hot breath on his face he sighed in relief.

"Why do you always insist on picking her up when she's injured?" Xellos was clearly amused. "Don't you know you can hurt someone further that way?"

"Shut up." Zelgadis cradled the unconscious princess in his arms, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She had a nasty bump on her head, just above her left eye. He brought his hand over it, reciting the incantation for a _Recovery_ spell. Nothing happened.

"Guess the shield is up," Xellos echoed Zelgadis' thoughts. "Surprising considering that stunt you pulled." Xellos made a clicking noise with his tongue, "Oh my Master will not be happy about this. Not happy at all."

"I did what I had to do," Zelgadis stated, turning his attention back to Amelia. "I had to save her."

Xellos smirked. "If anything, you put Amelia in even more danger than before."

"It was better than standing back and watching you kill her!"

"I already told you," Xellos said in exasperation. "I had no intention of killing her and I meant it. My goal here is to experiment with the power of the Magical Fusion shield, and the experiment I was to perform today was to put less power into the shield. We wanted to see if that is what killed the White Mage-sama 100 years ago. I was trying to make sure Amelia-san lived."

"Trying?" Zelgadis snarled, his eyes burning with rage. "I knew it! You weren't really sure if Amelia was going to survive at all, where you?"

"Well, yeah, I guess you could say that," Xellos said with a smile. "I mean, this _was_ an experiment after all. We can't know for sure what's going to happen."

"How _dare_ you play with her life like that!"

"Hey don't look at me," Xellos folded his arms indignantly. "It wasn't my idea to have Amelia-san perform the ceremony. I thought it would be some white mage I didn't know. Would have made things much easier on me, I assure you."

Zelgadis stared intensely at the Mazoku, then smirked triumphantly, "Well I guess now you'll never know if it worked. So sorry," his voice dripped with sarcasm, "That I messed up your Mazoku experiment."

Xellos groaned, "Do you realize how much trouble I'm in. Beastmaster-sama is not going to be happy with all this…"

"Well, tough," Zelgadis snapped. "If I hadn't cast that spell when I did, Amelia would have died!"

"Oh, but that's not exactly true…"

Zelgadis changed expressions from vindicated to confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh you saved her life, that's true," Xellos smirked. "I have to concede to that. I discovered shortly into the ceremony that my power would have killed her, whether I channeled less energy into it or not. But it wasn't your _Rah Tilt_ that saved her…"

Zelgadis growled, clenching Amelia tighter, "Stop playing games, Xellos! Just what are you talking about? What the hell happened here?"

"Why don't you ask _her_."

Xellos was pointing down at Amelia, and Zelgadis looked down to find a pair of large, beautiful blue eyes staring back at him. Amelia was wide awake, and she returned his curious gaze for several moments, before turning away with a blush.

"Amelia?" Zelgadis looked at her expectantly, but she didn't answer right away. She pushed reluctantly against Zelgadis' chest, and with equal reluctance he released her. The two sat there together, both looking equally confused.

"I don't know what Xellos-san is talking about," she finally said. "I only remember activating the altar and then feeling this horrible darkness try and engulf me. After that, nothing."

"Oh, yes, sorry about that." He waved his hand sheepishly. "That darkness engulfing stuff was me. But you really don't remember, Amelia-san?"

She shook her head, looking to Zelgadis and Xellos for an explanation.

"Alright, I guess I'll have to say it," he sighed, putting a finger to his chin as he thought. "All I really know for sure is that Amelia-san was somehow able to cast an honest-to-goodness Holy spell into the altar!"

"Huh!" Amelia's shock was even greater than Zelgadis'. "But I can't do that! I don't know any Holy magic."

"But you've been reading that Holy Magic book that Zelgadis-san gave you," Xellos smirked. "You may not be able to cast any specific spells, but you've learned enough to be able to channel Holy energy. Am I right?"

"No, I couldn't…" she stopped. Honestly, she wasn't sure anymore.

"Regardless, Amelia-san, I felt Holy energy channeled into that altar from you. That, in reality, is what saved your life. It was the only thing that could have truly countered my Mazoku power, which almost killed you."

"Wait a minute," Zelgadis spoke up this time. "If that's what saved her, just what did my _Rah Tilt_ do?"

Xellos grinned, "It added shaman magic to the shield, duh!"

"Don't mock me, Xellos!" Zelgadis stood up, glaring daggers at the Mazoku. "Just what does adding shaman magic do to the shield?"

Xellos shrugged, "To be honest, I'm not really sure. I've only ever heard of one case of adding shaman magic to a Fusion spell, and it wasn't a shield. It was a spell that was used to kill a powerful human mage from a long time ago. I believe they called it ' _True Fusion.'_ "

Xellos opened his eyes and smirked at the chimera. "I do know one thing, Zelgadis-san. Being the Black Mage-sama 100 years ago is what made me immune to the shield I helped create. It's the reason why I was able to come and go in this town as I pleased, despite being a Mazoku." He looked Zelgadis up and down again, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "And now, you are too." He practically sang the next line, "No more human form for you-ou!"

Zelgadis' eyes went wide with the realization, and he looked down at his chimera body. He'd lost his cure! And there was no chance of getting it back again, not for at least another 100 years.

The chimera collapsed to his knees again. He spent a full year building a life, a _normal_ life, here in Nullin, and it was all gone! Gone in one irreversible swoop. Zelgadis pursed his lips and clenched his teeth, his head hanging in defeat.

"Zelgadis-san," Amelia knelt down by him, putting a hand on his back. She wasn't sure what to say. She just felt she needed to be there with him.

"Well, at any rate,' the Mazoku said cheerfully. "The mayor and other townsfolk are outside even as we speak. And you only have until the mayor finds out where I hid his key before they come barging in here. I would suggest coming up with an explanation for everything that's happened here quickly."

"What?" Zelgadis snarled. "Us? You're the one who caused this whole mess. You explain it to them!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that, Zelgadis-san. You see, I have to report to my masters everything that has happened here, and believe me, I'd rather be in your shoes right now than mine." In a swoosh of magical energy, he vanished, leaving only a disembodied voice to give his last wish. "Good luck to you!"

"XELLOS!" Zelgadis roared, clenching his fists in frustration. "Come back here, damnit! How dare you leave now!" He may as well have been yelling at the air for all the good it did. The Mazoku was long gone.

"Zelgadis-san," Amelia said as she turned back to the chimera. "It's okay really. All we have to do is tell them the truth."

"The truth?" He raised an eyebrow at the princess. "Amelia, thanks to Xellos, everyone in this town thinks _I'm_ the Mazoku who came to destroy the ceremony. With the way I look right now, do you really think they'll believe anything I tell them?"

They heard the sounds of muffled voices behind the door at the top of the stairs. Neither of them could make out what was being said, but they could both guess it was probably the townsfolk trying to get in.

"The people trust me," she answered, her eyes intense and determined. "I can convince them of the truth."

He turned his gaze away from her and towards the doorway, eyes darkening. "Don't forget, Amelia; they all trusted Xellos as well, and he's fed them a flood of lies to try and deter me. Trying to make people see past their own eyes is a useless effort. I know!"

Amelia said nothing. He knew what he was talking about, after all. She may have been unconscious for the whole incident here, but she, too, had been witness to a whole town mistaking him for a demon.

"I'll most likely have to fight my way out of here," he contemplated as he looked at the door. "Without my magic that will be difficult, but with a little…"

"No, Zelgadis-san." She put her body between Zelgadis and the door, her arms outstretched. "You can't hurt anybody!"

There was a clinking sound behind her, and Amelia turned her back to Zelgadis to gaze at the door to the shrine. Mayor Ruulin had apparently found his key, and was now unlocking the shrine.

"Damnit, we're out of time!" There was only one way in and out. If he couldn't fight them, he would have to try and run for it.

"Amelia, try and get them out of here," he ran underneath the staircase, keeping himself out of sight of the door. "Don't let them get inside."

"But Zel…"

"Please, Amelia," he pleaded. "You're the only one they will listen to now!"

Amelia didn't even have time to respond before the lock on the door clicked, and she could hear the door swing open. Thinking fast she rushed towards the door and into the startled arms of Mayor Ruulin.

"White Mage-sama," he gasped, pushing her to arms length to look at her. "Thank god you are okay…"

"Mayor-san, we have to get out of here," she cried out in an exaggerated, panicky voice. "The structure of this place has been damaged. It could collapse any minute!"

"Huh? What? But I didn't see…"

"There's no time to argue!" she interrupted, sweeping her arm dramatically towards the shrine. "The Fusion ceremony was disrupted by an evil Mazoku! This whole place is going to blow up if we don't get out of here now!"

"B-blow up!" The mayor went pale.

"Run everybody!" Amelia screamed as loud as she could. "Get out of here! The whole shrine is about to blow!"

The crowd quickly dispersed, running in every direction in a frantic attempt to get as far away as possible.

"But, wait, White Mage-sama!"

Zelgadis heard the cries of the townsfolk become softer as they ran into the distance, and he snuck up to the door. He smiled as he watched everyone flee.

' _Thank you, Amelia. I owe you big time.'_ With everyone's back to him, he quickly slipped out of the shrine and into the secure darkness of the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 14: Home  
> It's where the heart is!


	14. Home

Duuchesney sat quietly on the cot in her cell, staring at the brick wall in front of her. She hadn't been to prison in years, and she'd forgotten how horribly constrictive the walls could feel.

Not even a day had passed since the Magical Fusion ceremony had taken place. She glanced through the barred windows of her cell and saw a beautiful, clear blue sky. Something must have gone wrong with the ceremony, as it appeared the shield had not been restored at all. It was very likely the biggest reason she hadn't been put her on trial thus far; everyone was concerned with what they were going to do to keep Nullin safe.

A doctor had come by to tend to her wounds earlier, but she still ached all over. The doctor, quite frankly, didn't seem all that interested in helping her. He also had no interest in answering her questions.

She pulled her knees up close, hugging herself as she let her thoughts wander. Everyone in the city had hated her before, but now more than ever. They were convinced she assisted the Mazoku that came to disrupt the ceremony, that much was clear from the way the doctor and others were treating her.

The city of Nuulin had never had an execution. She had a sinking feeling she might go down in history as the first.

"And the great Duchess is finally caught," a voice spoke up outside her cell window, making Duuchesney jump up in surprise. She straightened up, wincing from the pain in her back, before looking through her barred window.

A cloaked figure stood outside, just out of arms reach. He wore a grayish-tan outfit from head to toe, including a hood and cloth mask to cover his face.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Do I know you?" she asked, trying to sound as menacing as possible.

The man reached up and pulled down his hood and mask, revealing his face to her.

"Zelgadis!" she exclaimed, letting out the breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled. "Thank Cephied you are here! Get me out of here, will ya?"

He shook his head, "I can't, Duuchesney. Even in this form, I can't break those bars. I can't use my powers inside the shield, either."

"What shield? Look at the sky, Zel, the shield was destroyed! Not to mention you are still a…a… _that!_ "

"The shield has no affect on me now, Duuchesney," Zel narrowed his eyes at her, "I added my power to the shield, and now I'm immune to it. I cannot be flesh again." His voice cracked slightly as he said it, but he kept his composure.

Duuchesney gazed at him for a bit as though to study him, then pursed her lips together, "I see. So you're a permanent freak again."

Zelgadis growled and clenched his fists at her words, but said nothing.

"So what do you plan to do to fix it?" she didn't seem to notice his angry reaction, or didn't care.

He kept his expression and voice cold as he answered, "I suppose I'll have to go back to finding a new cure."

"Great!" she clapped her hands through the bars. "Then lets figure out a way to get me out of here, and I can go with you!"

"I don't think so, Duuchesney."

This was not the response she was expecting, and cocked her head curiously, "Huh? But I thought you wanted to find a cure!"

He approached the cage, bringing himself right up to the bars. The bandit pulled her arms in as he came close, and took an involuntary step back.

"Duuches, listen to me," his voice was so cold it sent a chill down her spine. "There is a very real possibility that there is no cure out there for me. I could search my entire life and never find it. In the meantime, I will still be a stone-skinned chimera!"

He gave off a low, gutteral growl as he said it, "Knowing that, do you still want to travel with me?"

She remained silent for several minutes. Duuchesney just didn't know what to say. Taking a deep breath, she approached the bars, studying that strange, freakish face for a sign of the man she thought she knew. Slowly, she reached up and stroked his brow, but recoiled quickly. Then abruptly she turned away, unable to meet his gaze any longer.

Zelgadis sighed. It was the reaction he had been expecting, "So I take it this is it then."

"I guess so," she said in a hushed voice, looking at the floor of her cell. "I'm sorry, Zel, but I…I can't…."

Zelgadis decided it was time for a change of subject, "The townsfolk seem to think you tried to assist the Mazoku who came to disrupt the shield. They want to execute you." His face showed genuine concern. "You need to leave this place, and never return."

The bandit rolled her eyes, "Yea, and how am I suppose to do that, Zel?"

The chimera smirked before turning to walk away. "I'm not as obtuse as you seem to think, Duuchesney, I know what you did. Just consider it my parting gift to you."

He slowly walked into the forest, but before disappearing he called out , "Farewell, Duchess."

"Goodbye, Zel," her words were almost inaudible. As soon as Zelgadis was out of sight she slinked back to her cot and sat down.

' _So, I guess the man I knew and loved is dead.'_ She closed her eyes, wiping away a tear from her face. She'd never meant to really fall for him, but she couldn't help it. He was a stubborn ass, but he had been very kind to her as well.

Well, it seems as always, she would just have to do everything herself.

Well, that was fine with her! Her sleight of hand skill had proved useful. She reached into her sleeve, pulling out the item she had taken from Zelgadis; a single strand of his hair. With expert skill, she began to fashion it into a lock pick.

* * *

It had been a week since the Magical Fusion ceremony, and Amelia had spent it in a blinkered hell. She tried desperately to convince the townsfolk of Xellos' evil intentions, but it was all in vein. The Black Mage-sama had apparently used his charms on everyone, and they found the very idea of him being a Mazoku preposterous.

"Mayor-san, would I ever lie?" Amelia asked yet again. She was nearly at her wits end. The three of them, Amelia, Mayor Ruulin, and Ladia, were all sitting around in the Mayor's spacious living room. They each had a cup of tea in front of them as they discussed recent events.

"I don't think you are a liar, White Mage-sama," he gave her a look of grave concern. "Just confused is all. You suffered a nasty bump on the head while you were in the shrine."

Amelia glared at him, "I tried to tell you when we first saw Xellos what he was! I didn't have a bump on my head then!"

"White Mage-sama," Ladia spoke up, looking even more concerned than her husband. "It's obvious you were sick when you came here. So it stands to reason…"

"I wasn't sick when I came here!" her voice was becoming growingly irate. "The shield was making me sick! It was corrupted by Xellos 100 years ago."

The Mayor's wife, Ladia, spoke, "I just find that so hard to believe. Xellos doesn't look a day older than 20..."

"He's a Mazoku!" Amelia snapped back. "He can make himself look whatever age he wants!"

"He can't be a Mazoku, White Mage-sama. Mazoku cannot enter the shield."

Amelia groaned and slumped in her seat. The conversation just kept going in circles.

Ladia stood up from her chair and walked over to Amelia. The princess looked up at her as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "White Mage-sama, this may come as a shock to you, but…the Black Mage-sama told us everything." Her eyes welled up with tears as she spoke. "I'm afraid your dear friend, Zelgadis, was in league with that Mazoku, and he was poisoning you by his orde…"

"That's ridiculous!" Amelia practically screamed, and the mayor jumped back in surprise. "Xellos was lieing to you!"

"Look now," The mayor said sternly. "Even if you _are_ the White Mage-sama, I will not allow you to sully Black Mage-sama's honor!"

Amelia sighed, burying her face in her hands. ' _Why me?'_

"Speaking of the Black Mage-sama," Ladia spoke again, sitting back down again and picking up her tea cup. "Just what happened in the shrine? Where did he disappear to? And what was that bluish-white light that we saw in the sky?"

Amelia had no idea how she was going to explain that when they wouldn't believe anything else, "I don't know, I was unconscious for all of that." It wasn't a total lie, after all.

"If you were unconscious," The Mayor chimed in, "then how do we even know the shield is up?"

Amelia lifted up her hand and began casting a spell, " _Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright!_ " She snapped her fingers.

The Mayor and his wife held their breaths, but nothing happened.

"But if the shield is up," Ladia continued. "Why is it invisible."

Amelia shook her head, "I don't know."

That was also mostly true. She knew Zelgadis' adding his shaman magic to the shield had to be the reason, but she didn't know _why_ adding shaman magic would make it invisible. Xellos said something about True Fusion, but she had never heard of that.

Amelia rubbed her ring finger on her left hand. Despite having given the ring back to the Mayor, she could still feel it there even after all this time. It had even left a strange, blackish scar on her finger that her healing magic wouldn't remove. She could only hope it faded over time.

"White Mage-sama?" A servant entered the tea room, bowing to Amelia and handing her a letter. "This was just delivered for you."

Amelia took the letter and thanked the servant. The letter had no name on it, but it didn't need one. When Amelia opened it she instantly recognized the handwriting, and her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Who is it from?" the Mayor asked.

Amelia quickly folded the letter and placed it in her bodice, "Oh, just a citizen thanking me." She lied outright that time. _'I'll repent later.'_

It was early dawn when Amelia snuck out of the house, a sack of her personal belongs slung over her shoulder. Her white mare was in the stables, and it whinnied in recognition as she approached. She quickly shushed the horse, giving her a handful of oats to keep her quiet.

She carefully and quietly saddled her horse, attaching her bag of belongings to the side of it. The other horses in the stable stomped and rustled a bit, making her cringe from the noise, but she tried to carefully lead her own horse outside without notice.

"Princess Amelia!" She jumped in surprise and spun in the direction of the voice. There stood Edwin, looking at her curiously. "Princess, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Edwin-san, I'm just, uh…" she stammered, stroking her horse on the nose to think of an excuse, "I was just going to go for a morning ride. You know…to clear my head and stuff."

Edwin narrowed his eyes at the princess suspiciously, "Really? If that is the case, then let me saddle my horse and I will join you."

"NO," Amelia said it a little too quickly, startling Edwin. She rubbed her head sheepishly, "I just…want to be alone for a bit. Nice, quiet, private ride."

Edwin narrowed his eyes, "Princess Amelia, that may be true. And, yet, I couldn't help but notice you've packed all of your things." He folded his arms, glaring at her, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you weren't expecting to come back."

"Oh no, I mean, to say, that is…well, kinda…" she stammered. She forced herself to take a deep breath before continuing. "Edwin-san, I'm just getting really tired of this town. I've been through a lot, and I want to go home."

"I understand perfectly, Princess," he said, bowing at the waist. "I shall inform your remaining staff and we can be ready to go back to Seyruun by tomorrow afternoon."

"No, Edwin-san, I want to go alone."

Edwin's eye twitched with annoyance. _'Why does this not surprise me,'_ he thought. "Princess, it's a dangerous journey. You know I cannot let you go alone!"

Amelia climbed into the saddle of her horse, "I can take care of myself, Edwin-san, you know that."

"Yes, I know, but it just isn't appropriate for a princess to be out on her own! Your father would have my hide if he knew I'd let you go off like this."

A glint of mischief sparkled in Amelia's eyes, "My father would also have your hide if he knew why you weren't at the shrine during the ceremony last week."

Edwin's eyes went wide with fear. "Wha…that's not fair!" he sputtered.

Amelia smirked to herself. Edwin had been so drunk from the celebration, that he was passed out during the ceremony and was not at the shrine with the rest of her guards. Granted, his carelessness saved his life, but still…

"Just make sure you get everyone safely back to Seyruun, Edwin-san," she urged her horse into a canter. "I will meet you there."

Edwin's face was red, but he didn't protest further as he watched Amelia disappear into the distance.

Zelgadis sat outside the edge of the shield, along the road leading into Nuulin. It was the same spot where Amelia first entered the city, and was attacked by the Duchess Army. It was a dirt road, but the one most frequently traveled.

He leaned up against a tree, writing notes inside of the journal he had sitting on his lap. He never went back to the cabin that Duuchesney and him had shared; not since he met her in prison. He didn't need to, since his most valued items were in his private cave outside of the shield.

Now the cave, too, sat abandoned; the personal affects that he could comfortably carry sat in a bag to his side, or in the pouches lining his cloak. The rest he left behind.

He gazed in the direction of the shield, even though he could no longer see it. There was nothing left for him here. The shield no longer had any affect on his body, and his relationship with the bandit woman was officially over. He was sad in the beginning, but now he felt free, as if the shackles that had tied him here had finally been broken. He could go where he wanted and do as he pleased. The only reminder that he had ever been here at all was this strange scar that had appeared on his right ring finger…

"ZELGADIS-SAN!"

He heard the familiar voice and looked up from his journal, smiling. Amelia leapt from her horse and ran towards him with exceptional speed.

He put his journal down and stood up, just in time to be practically tackled by the princess, her arms wrapping him in a tight hug. "Zelgadis-san!"

"It's about time you got here," he said returning the hug. "I was starting to think you didn't get my let…"

Zelgadis had expected she'd be happy to see him, and even expected the hugging. He wasn't prepared for the tears, "Uh, Amelia? It's okay Amelia! Please don't cry."

"Zelgadis-san," she whined, squeezing him. "It's been a whole week! I thought you'd left me behind!"

"Wha..no," he stammered, gently patting her on the back. "I just needed some time to myself is all. Please stop crying, Amelia."

The princess wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked up at the chimera, "I…I expected you to go back to your bandit girlfriend after she escaped from jail!"

Zelgadis shook his head andgave her a gentle smile, "Don't concern yourself with her, Amelia. She did not care much for my current form. We decided awhile ago that it was time to go our separate ways."

This seemed to calm her down. Amelia took a deep, shuddering breath, letting Zelgadis go so she could look at him fully. "I see," she managed a small, adorable smile. "And which way do you intend to go, Zelgadis-san?"

"That depends," he reached out to brush his hand up against her soft cheek. "I remember someone inviting me to go with her to Seyruun three years ago. But I'm not so certain that invitation is still open."

"It is! It is!" she blurted it out so quickly that she startled him. "Come back with me to Seyruun, Zelgadis-san! You know you are always welcome there, no matter what!"

Amelia stopped and blushed for a minute, her enthusiasm getting the better of her. Zelgadis just gave a cheerful laugh that caught the princess off guard. It seemed like Zelgadis rarely smiled, let alone _laughed_.

She gazed back at him, but before she could say anything, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

The kiss was brief, barely lasting a second, but it made Amelia feel like her stomach had jumped into her chest. He then pulled her in for another hug, his cheek pressed against her own. She could hear the warm smile in his voice as he whispered into her ear.

"I love you, Amelia."

Amelia's eyes went wide and began to tear up again, "I…" she began, having to choke down a sniffle, "Oh, Zelgadis-san, I love you, too!"

They held each other for several moments, Amelia's head resting on Zelgadis' shoulder. It felt like heaven to her, and the troubles of the last couple of weeks seemed to melt away.

"Let's go home, Amelia," Zelgadis whispered into her ear. "I'd like to go home now."

She pulled away from him, just enough to look at him and she nodded. Zelgadis smiled, taking Amelia's hand in his own he lead her back to her horse.

* * *

Xellos sat and watched from atop a hill as the couple went by, Amelia on her horse, and Zelgadis walking along side. He smirked to himself.

He had returned to his master, fully expecting to be ruthlessly disciplined for his failure. The punishment, however, did not come. Unbeknownst to the Mazoku, he was now marked! It was Beastmaster who discovered it, and she had become intrigued enough to withhold sentence.

It was first seen while Xellos was in his Mazoku form, but he quickly found it appeared on his human form as well. Removing his glove, he found the mark; a black, red, and white scar surrounding his right-ring finger, where he had worn the Black Mage-sama's ring.

It didn't take long for him to realize that Amelia also carried a similar mark. As did Zelgadis, despite not wearing a ring during the ceremony. Neither seemed to realize the possible implications.

And this mark was brand new. He had performed the ceremony 100 years ago, but it had left no such brand then.

"Ah, my dear sweet, Nuulin," Xellos glanced back at the city. "What a fun mistress you are. Still playing hard-to-get with your many delightful secrets."

He glanced back at Zelgadis and Amelia. The two of them had stopped, and were looking at the forest, as if they had sensed something there. Xellos slinked behind a rock, making sure to stay out of sight. He knew they were looking for him; they somehow knew he was there.

"I have a feeling I am now linked with you two, though I'm not yet sure how," he looked down again at the scar on his hand. "But I think I'm going to have a lot of fun finding out!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very special thanks to my brother, Soulcleave, and my good friend, Koochikoo, for Beta reading and critiquing this story. Love ya lots!
> 
> I'd also like to thank all of those who left reviews on my story (at Fanfiction.net,) even after I abandoned it. You helped give me the motivation I needed to finish my story.
> 
> If you are interested in more, check out the sequel, "Soul Fusion.".


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